My Black Jewel
by gothangel12345
Summary: Everybody thinks that being a doctor in Mineral Town is easy, that he works too hard, that he should get a life. Maybe it's true, his only problem is, with who? His best friend Elli? No. Perhaps a certain farm girl... rated for safety. Doctor X Farmer
1. A new farmer arrived

This is a Doctor X Character story. Our farmer's name was Lei, but I changed it to Claire (might find both names, I'll try to fix that), and her personality is very... um... different from average farmers. Her style is sorta unic, but this is basically based on the Doctor, since I feel that not many people are giving him proper credit on the game... or maybe's because I just love him! XD R&R please.

* * *

As spring rolled in, bringing the newly colored green leaves into the trees, everyone in Mineral Town were happy; well, almost everyone. It was the day after New Years, and as far as they were concerned, things were going okay. On top of Mother's Hill sat a young man, trying to clear his mind from so much trouble and work. His life wasn't exactly perfect, perhaps close, but never perfect. He had troubles like everybody else, even though no one cared about him unless he was needed.

"That's the pay of being a doctor." He sighed as his jet black hair kept blowing toward all directions. "No matter, I'm here to save lives, not to live them."

He looked down, just below his feet, at the deep cliff that seemed to end in an ocean of green. A small village could be spotted from up there, especially at this time at night. It was beautiful, small stars shinning brightly on the dark silk sky mixed with the wonderful smell of nature. It was wonderful on Mineral Town.

That much he knew. What he couldn't figure out was why in the world he felt so uncomftable there; he felt like something was missing. Everyday was a routine to him; get up, go to work, go to sleep. It was the same thing everyday. There weren't even many patients to begin with! His work had been reduced to only research for cures and new medicines; only on rare occasions people other than Jeff and Lillia visited the clinic for a checkup.

His life wasn't that perfect.

He stood up from the peak of the hill where he's been sitting since the afternoon until now and stretched, feeling relaxation wash over his sore back muscles. With a small yawn, he walked down Mother's Hill and made his way into the thick forest. He knew the path back to the clinic by heart, and could get there even if he was blindfolded. He decided to take a shortcut through the abandoned farm which at some point was beautiful and filled with life.

On the ground where beautiful crops were supposed to be, now laid weeds and branches. Where tall grass used to grow to feed the poultry and livestock, now laid boulders, stones and tree stumps. It wasn't even the shadow of what it used to be a few years ago, just when he had come into town.

Old Jack was the previous farmer and he had passed away in less than a week after Alex had come to work on Mineral Town. He had seen the farm before the loss and it was wonderful, perfect for relaxation after a hard day of work. Now it only send chills up his spine.

He hurriedly walked through the old farm, feeling growls behind him. He walked faster; he knew that wild dogs liked to come out at night and attack strangers, such as him. Not that he had a phobia toward dogs, but they were still dangerous. Not wanting to risk getting hurt, he ran out through the front gates of the farm, looking back and seeing a big brown dog barking loudly.

Fortunately, the dog stayed in the same spot threateningly as the doctor walked away. He breathed in relief, wiping small drops of sweat from his forehead. After taking a few steps forward, he heard his name being called. He turned around, but no one was there. A second time his name was called, this time with much more strength, and with a little hurry and urgency.

"Doctor! Please, we need you to come over!" A pink haired woman called after him, making him nod and rush to her.

"What's wrong Lillia?" He asked worriedly, knowing that she had an incurable condition of heath.

"Oh, it's not me dear, it's Rick. He's been in bed all day and has a high fever." She explained quickly. "Can you check on him?"

"Certainly." He nodded while letting Lillia pull him to her house and up the stairs into the room where her son, Rick, laid on the bed.

He walked by Popuri, Lillia's daughter, who sat on a chair next to Rick with a worried glance.

"Don't worry; I'm sure it's nothing serious." He said convincingly.

"Thanks Alex." Popuri smiled weakly, only to get a small frown from the man. "I mean… doctor."

He didn't want to be called by his first name; he thought that only those who knew him well and gain enough of his trust had the right to. After nodding at her response, he walked beside Rick and gave him a quick examination. After a few minutes, he had figured out what the problem was.

"It looks like Rick here has a cold. I suggest lots of liquids and rest." He said simply, receiving the thanks from everyone in the room. "Drink these, my treat."

He handed Rick a bottle of medicine, getting a thankful look from the blond boy. Alex knew that their family business wasn't going too good, especially since all of their chickens were cramped into a small coop because of the lack of space, which meant that not all of them got to eat properly.

"_If only the farm next door was in good conditions with a responsible farmer, they wouldn't be so trouble filled." _He thought with a sigh, telling the family of three that he had to get going if he wanted to get home early.

After walking out of the warm home into the cold streets, he found out that it was raining slightly, making him shiver. He sighed again while walking pass the blacksmith's shop and turned on the Aja winery. After walking pass the Inner In, he turned once more, feeling relieved as he saw the big sign that said: "Mineral Clinic".

He lived on the small house on top of the clinic, letting him being closer in case of an emergency, with his assistant Elli. They studied together for many years and now they worked together and even lived together. Although this might seem strange to some people, they weren't in a relationship; at least he wasn't interested in a relationship other than friend and work partner.

He finally got inside, smiling at the warm feeling of being under the roof. He could smell chocolate from upstairs, which meant that Elli was still awake. After removing his coat, he walked up the stairs and knocked on her bedroom door, smiling as she answered with a cup of hot cocoa on her hand.

"Hi, Alex!" She smiled. She was the only one in town that he allowed to call him that way. It was pretty obvious that they were close friends, even though the town didn't seem to understand that there was nothing more.

"Hello, Elli. I couldn't help but notice that nice and hot cup of chocolate that you have in your hands…" He smiled hinting her that he wanted some, which she understood with perfection.

"Come on in, I already have your cup ready." She smiled with a small nod.

After warming up with cocoa, he decided that it was late and that he had to go to bed soon, for he had work tomorrow. Elli, as much as well as the priest Carter, thought that he was overworking himself but they decided that he could work as much as he wanted, as long as he was happy and things were under control.

The next morning, everything was just like any other day. While Alex cleared up his office from expired documents, Elli was on the front counter, checking the town folk's health records. Nothing was out of the ordinary until….

"Hey Elli!" Karen yelled as she bursted open the door. "Aren't you coming to the beach?"

"What for?" She asked curiously while noticing the black haired man that popped his head out of his office.

"Yes Karen, why would we want to go to the beach on a busy day like today and interrupt work?" He asked without much enthusiasm.

"Aw… don't tell me you don't know! Someone new is coming to town!" She said with a smile. "Come on! Let's go together!"

Elli looked to the floor and then to her desk. "Well… I'm not sure if I-"

"Elli, if you want to go, you can go. I'll stay here in case anybody needs me." Alex said quietly while giving Karen a weak smile.

"Oh no you won't! We're all coming together!" Karen said with a frown. "You're too anti-social for your own good."

With that said Karen took Alex by his whisks and dragged him out of the office, Elli smiling brightly not too far behind. When they finally got to the beach, Alex was surprised to find the whole village there, all staring at the tiny shadow of a boat on the ocean.

"Who's coming Karen?" He asked impatiently as he pulled his hand free.

"I'm not sure; the mayor said that it was going to be a new farmer for that old piece of junk they used to call a farm." She shrugged. "I hope that he's strong, we won't be needing another wimp like Rick to work on the farms.

"That's no way to talk about your boyfriend, Karen." Elli interrupted with a small frown. "He doesn't deserve it."

"Yeah, well, I just hope that this new farmer has good muscles just were he needs them." She said hopefully.

"How can you be so sure that it's a man?" Alex asked frowning too. "It can be a woman farmer you know."

"Yeah, but… what are the odds, right? Besides, if it's a girl farmer, I'm gonna make new friends!" She said simply.

"Wow, you sure are social." Elli said with a nod.

"Unlike you two!" She responded with a smile. "What do you say I go and check out if it's a girl or a boy farmer?"

"Fine by me." Elli said with a shrug. The doctor did the same which made Karen leave and walk straight to the mayor, Thomas.

They could hear small parts of their conversation and in less than a minute, Karen came with a small disappointed look.

"It's a girl farmer." She said. "Oh well, let's just hope that she's not a weirdo."

"Oh Karen, grow up." Alex rolled his eyes with a sigh.

Karen glared at him angrily. "We all know that not everyone's cool, doctor. I just want to know if she's a normal girl or if she's a freak of nature."

"There's no use arguing with immature teenagers, is there?" He murmured to Elli.

"I heard that!" Karen yelled. "What are you talking about, you're not that old!"

"Um… the boat-"

"Quiet Elli, stay out of this."

"But Karen, the boat-"

"The boat what?" She asked with anger.

There was a loud thump and everyone turned around to face whoever came out of the huge ferry.

"…is here." Elli finished in a murmur, feeling a little angry.

The pale gray boat was on the beach for a while, making everyone anxious to see the new farmer. Mayor Tomas was sitting on a bench, his little legs at least two feet above the ground. He gave the boat another look after five minutes, and smiled weakly as he heard the small 'creak' sound that it made.

Leaping into the floor, his smile grew wider when he noticed the young blonde woman that exited the boat with luggage. Something about her made him cock his head, but he didn't know what. Maybe it was the fact that she was wearing a black shirt that said "You All Suck", or maybe it was the long black jeans that she was wearing with many chains, or who knows, perhaps even that look in her face that clearly said "I wish I was anywhere but here".

When she finally made it to the sand on her combat boots, everyone frowned. Thomas made his way to her quickly, and noticed now how light her blue eyes were. They were a sky blue that wasn't very common, defined by a thick black line of makeup.

"Uh… are you the new farmer?" He asked looking up at her.

"Yeah." She responded with a faint smile. "Where's the farm? I really need to put these someplace safe."

He was surprised to hear her talk, his first impression was a quiet and rude person; this was somewhat strange for him. She kept staring at him and he noticed that he didn't even know her name, so he just asked.

"I'll take you to the farm, miss…?"

"Claire." She responded seriously. "So… are we going?"

"Of course!" He said happily while offering to take her bags.

She shook her head no and just followed while giving a confused glare at the town folk. "What are you looking at? Never seen a newcomer? Sheesh!"

Her tone wasn't angry; in fact, it was friendly to most of them. She came across many girls who gave her weird looks, but one that made her frown was from a certain blond girl next to a nurse and a doctor.

"Um… why are you glaring at me?" She asked directly while walking to where Karen was standing.

"No reason. Here, we have the right to look at weirdoes anyway we want." She answered coolly.

"Oh, so that means that I can glare at you all day and it'll be alright, right?" Claire said with a raised eyebrow.

"Why… how _dare_ you talk to me like that!? I don't even know you!" Karen spat angrily.

"Does it look like I care?" Claire shrugged and decided to stop this argument before it got too serious.

Claire noticed how uncomftable the other two look, so she just ignored Karen and walked toward them. The nurse looked to the floor shyly and sighed. "I'm sorry, Karen sometimes can't control herself and says the first thing that comes to mind."

"It's alright; she didn't do anything, right?" She shrugged and smiled slightly. "So, what are your names? I'm Claire."

"I'm Elli, and this is Doctor Alex." She responded while smiling.

"…It's just Doctor." He murmured and just looked at her with a sheepish grin.

"Okay, Doctor. I've better get going, nice meeting you." She said and walked away with the mayor, ignoring the confused looks from the group of girls on the other side of the beach where Karen had walked over to.

"Can you guys believe that!? She just comes and thinks that she can do whatever she wants here!" Karen yelled to the other girls who just rolled their eyes.

"Karen," Popuri said calmly "she just defended herself."

"Yeah Karen, no big deal." Ann, the red haired girl said with a shrug. "I think that you were too harsh on her, I mean, she just got here."

Karen considered it and sighed in defeat. "I guess you're right. I'll go and apologize after she's all set on her new home."

On the town's streets, the mayor was talking about the historic festivals at Mineral Town, and how he would like to see her there. She said that she'll think about it, and then something popped on her mind.

"Oh, Thomas? I was wondering… this farm, is in good conditions, isn't it?" She asked hoping that it would be.

"Uh… about that…" The mayor scratched the back of his neck as they finally arrived to the farm's grounds. "It… has strong buildings…?"

Claire sighed in rage and just glared at the mayor for a couple of minutes. "I received a letter that _clearly _said that it was in GOOD CONDITIONS! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE!?"

"Uh… Please, forgive me, but the previous farm owner passed away a couple of years ago and-"

"Just go. I'll start working tomorrow." She growled.

"But…" He said feeling rather guilty.

"What!? You convince me that this is going to be a _great_ vacation; a job that wouldn't make me sweat and instead _THIS_ is what I came for!? I had to drive 2 hours to go to work on the city! My life was a disaster, and now you just tricked me to take care of your freaking farm!?" She yelled to the top of his lungs in complete anger.

Thomas couldn't take it any longer, he had a big pressure in his stomach, so he let all of his chuckles and laughs drown him up. He laughed hard and loudly, not caring that Claire was so mad that she picked up a rock; and threw it at him, missing by a mere inch.

"No… please… stop! Murder is a crime here too… even if it's my fault that you're angry for tricking you in the cruelest way possible!" He yelled while covering himself.

"WELL, MAYBE IF YOU STOP LAUGHING I'LL **CONSIDER** IT!" She yelled grabbing another rock.

"Please! I'm sorry!" He begged as he walked backward, tripping on a rock and falling backward, getting himself all dirty. Claire laughed at his scared face as he landed, making him cough up dirt. "I guess you're not still mad, are you?"

"Nah, I was kidding." Claire said while reaching after his small hands and helping him stand up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta get ready for tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll be on my way! If you need any help, talk to the villagers." He said while tipping his hat.

"Uh huh. Bye!" She called after and got inside her house. "…short little plum man…"

She noticed after many hours of unpacking that it was getting late, so she decided to go around for a walk, before it got too dark. On her way out, she noticed many trees to the south of her farm, so that was the first place that she went to.

Many small animals were around, birds chirping and wind blowing fresh air. She smiled as the wild wind blew her golden locks backward as she continued to walk. After a couple of minutes she found herself in front of a big crystal clear lake. She sighed in happiness and walked through a rather small bridge, finding herself on the peak of a mountain.

"…Mother's Hill." She read from a wooden sign. "Wow, this sure is nice up here."

She stood on the edge of the peak and looked down at the small lights that came from the village. Her view found the sky and all those many small stars that shone brightly, making her smile. Those were the prettiest lights that she'd ever seen, covered with thin transparent clouds that passed by slowly.

"It's beautiful… isn't it?" A man said from behind her, who startled her and made her loose balance, causing her fall backward into his chest and into the ground.

After being able to breathe properly, she opened her eyes, only to come face to face with big black eyes.

* * *

There ya' go, the begginging. Tell me what you think! Anonimous reviewers are welcomed, although all flames are not. Constructive comments are welcomed. Oh, and well, thanks for reading the first chapter!


	2. A friendship begins

Thank you for all of your reviews: KittiKat16, Padme4000 and kelley28

I'm gratefull to have reviewers on this HM story since my other one only has one... and around six chapters... -cries- anyway, thanks, this chapter is a little slower and shorter than I intended, but it's mainly a filler. Besides, I think that this is a start of something in the story, so it being alone's okay. R&R!

* * *

It seemed that time stopped for the two people on top of the mountain. They both sat peacefully on the peak, stargazing and just hanging out. They were starting to know each other, just a little chitchat here and there. They were getting along perfectly, the chemistry between them was a positive one, light mood, laughs and happiness overall.

"…and that's when I figured out that it was the wrong test tube! It blew up on my face!" Alex finished with a laughing fit.

She joined him on the laughs quickly, stopping for breath. "Oh man, I bet it burned!"

"It did, but Elli helped me get cured with tea leaves' based mask." He sighed with a smile, remembering all the painful masks he had to wear until he was cured.

"I guess you two are very close, huh." Claire said with one raised eyebrow, hiding a small smirk.

He looked surprised, but then realized what was going on. "We're _best friends_, not what the town rumors say."

"Is it true that you guys live together?" She asked letting herself fall on the ground to see the darkish sky above. "You know, I'm just curious."

"We live on the same house, but we're not together like _that_." He answered simply with a shrug. "We've been together since we were little."

"How did you guys met?" She sighed while closing her eyes, breathing in deeply that fresh air that made her smile.

"We were on school together since elementary school, we both wanted to study medicine since young so I guess we just shared the same labor goal." He said, raising an eyebrow when he noticed that Claire was on the dirt, getting her arms that covered her hair dirty.

"That's a nice way to meet people; I always meet people at the funniest times…" She trailed off, remembering all the times she met new people.

He laughed when she said that, remembering a couple of hours ago. "I kinda figured that one…"

Lei laughed too. After a while, she took a deep breath and looked at him. "I'm really sorry for falling on you doctor."

"Oh, it's okay." He said while scratching the back of his neck nervously. "No real harm done, right?"

"Yeah, but… I'm sorry." She smiled softly and sighed.

He smiled too and looked at her. "I'm the one that should be apologizing; I startled you to begin with."

"You got a point." She said with a small laugh while getting up.

They looked up to the sky, which was starting to get brighter. Sunrise was about to come and the colors where blending together into pinks and purples, getting light shades of blue and orange. He yawned softly, passing it then to Claire.

She laughed softly as he chuckled and yawned again. "Hey!"

"You started it!" Claire complained while crossing her arms.

"Uh… you're right." He said with a shrug. "Do you know what time it is?"

She looked at her wristwatch and gasped. "It's almost four thirty!"

"Really? Oh man, we better get going; we got work to do tomorrow!" He sighed disappointedly; he was actually having a good time and made a new friend!

"Uh! Don't remind me… that farm's gonna take a lot of work to fix." She dusted off a little bit of dirt off her pants. "It's gonna take a while for it to work…"

"Don't worry; I'm sure you'll be able to do it." He assured while getting up, offering a hand which she gladly accepted.

"Thanks Al." She said with a soft smile.

"Call me doctor, please." He sighed with a little annoyance. "Alex is just so…"

"I didn't call you Alex!" She winked. "I called you Al. And I'll call you Al. Think of it as a sign of my friendship… or else."

He couldn't help but smile. "You always have to win, don't you?"

"…maybe…" After brushing the remaining dust off her clothes, she looked up at him again. "This town isn't half bad. Thanks for such a nice welcoming."

"No problem. I hardly have any friends here…" He sighed sadly as they started to walk down the path.

"Why? You're so nice!" She complimented with a frown. "I think that it's going to be hard for _me_ to make friends here…"

"Well, apparently we have something in common." He mumbled to himself, but she heard it.

They kept walking down the moist grass of the mountain and through a small bridge. The wind was blowing softly, making their hairs move all around like crazy. After a couple of minutes of comfortable silence, they came into two roads.

They walked through the one to the left, which lead them directly to the farm. Alex remembered the dog from yesterday and looked around, trying hard to find it. After giving up, he noticed that they were already on Claire's doorstep.

"Well, see you tomorrow, Al." She yawned. "…what day is it?"

"You mean today or tomorrow?" He asked with a smile, seeing her frown.

"Today! Tomorrow is well… ah, it's the same." She said with a smile, covering her mouth and trying to hold back another yawn.

"Tuesday. It looks like we'll be busy, huh." He answered warmly, giving a glance at the devastated farm. "This place used to be so beautiful…"

Claire did the same and sighed loudly. "I'll fix it, I'm sure."

He nodded and looked up at the sky, which was getting brighter by the minute. "Well, I'll better get going then. See you later, Claire!"

"Sure, bye Al." She smiled and waved until he was on the wooden gates. Then she got inside her small shack to get ready to go to sleep.

Alex continued to make his way toward the clinic, his eyes wanted to close very badly and he was so tired that every step seemed to drain the energy from him. After several minutes, he found himself on the clinic's front door rather quickly with a smile.

"Man, coffee's gonna be my friend tomorrow… or today." He said to himself as he closed the door and climbed the stairs. Elli's room was locked and dark, meaning that she should be asleep already. He made his way to his room and closed the door and not even bothering to change clothes, he jumped to bed and fell asleep almost immediately.


	3. Just an accident

I enjoyed writing this chapter, and I'm proud that I'm updating soon, -sigh- just hope it lasts...

Anyway, thanks for reviewing, you really made me smile!! R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon...yet...

* * *

The next morning was just like Alex thought it would be, slow and tiring. On top of that, it was plainly boring. Not even a patient had come yet, and probably won't come at all.

"Elli!" He called loudly, feeling his head heavy. "Can you bring me another cup, please?"

After a while, the nurse appeared on his door with a big cup of steaming hot coffee.

"Alex, this is your third cup in the past two hours. Take it easy." She sighed with a frown. "You're a doctor; you should know that it's not healthy."

"I'll be fine; it's just a head ache." He responded while stretching his arms to get the cup from her hands.

"If you say so…" She looked at him in disbelief, sighing again loudly. "Stop pushing yourself so much, look how tired you are!"

He raised his view to face her, a small smile on his features. "I'm not tired because of work… still, I'm glad to know that I have such a good friend like you."

She smiled softly and turned to leave, giving him one last concern look. As soon as she was out she shook her head. "He's so stubborn…"

Alex finished his cup and let it on his desk, feeling relaxed and sleepy. The first few hours of the day were going slowly, making it seem like forever until the day ended. To distract himself from the clock on the wall, he took some blue and green herbs and started to examine them, once again trying to find a cure for Lillia's unnamed condition or Jeff's stomach aches.

"Hmmm… too much sodium on this one." He mumbled a few minutes later, holding a bottle of neon colored liquid. "Although it seems to recover more stamina…"

A knock could be heard from the door, followed by Elli who entered with a smile to his office. "There's someone here to see you, Alex."

"Who is it?" He asked with confusion, a little worry on his tone. "Is it something serious?"

"Oh, no. She's just here to say hello." Elli shook her head, turning around to call the visitor. "Claire, you can come in now."

"Thanks." The blond girl responded with a smile.

Elli left to her post in case anybody came in with a smirk. She was glad that the doctor was socializing with new people, it made her happy. Perhaps now the town would stop making up comments about them being together… not that she truly minded.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything, Al." Claire shyly said while looking at the bottle with the glowing medicine.

"No, not at all. I was just modifying this bodigizer…" He said, pointing to the bottle. "Excuse me but… may I ask you a favor?"

She smiled and nodded. "Sure, what's up?"

"Can you try it?" He handed her the bottle with a puppy long stare and a silly pout, making her laugh.

"Uh… sure!" She smiled unsure, smelling the glowing green goop.

He beamed excitedly as she gave a nervous laugh and swallowed half of the stuff, making a weird expression. It was a mixture of disgust and surprise, making him cock his head.

"AH!! What is this stuff!?" She growled after swallowing the bitter-sweet content of the bottle. "It's horrible!"

"Does it really taste that bad?" He asked holding back a laugh and giving her the most innocent look he could manage; he had the feeling that it wouldn't taste very good to begin with. "But… it works, right?"

"Well, I've been drinking grape juice all day since I can't afford any coffee yet…" She said sadly. "I guess it does, I feel a lot better… if you compare it with having to wake up by killing mosquitoes, not having any breakfast and no coffee to start the day… but yeah, it works."

"Really!?" He grinned happily, feeling a little sorry for her. "This is great!"

"Oh, yeah?" Claire asked with a strange glint in her eyes. "Why don't _you_ try it then?"

She took the bottle and gave it to him, already imagining the look on his face when he'll taste it.

"Uh… no, it's okay. I already got enough proof that it works, thank you…" He said quickly, convinced that it wasn't a pleasure to drink.

"Aw, come on!" She pouted cutely, putting the cutest face she could handle.

He was surprised that it worked, even with her dark-like makeup. He could have sworn that her eyes got bigger too, making her look like a precious moment doll. "Of, fine. I'm sure it can't be that bad…"

A sniff was all it took for him to realize how wrong he was. Claire insisted with her put, convincing him to drink up the remains.

"Oh…my…God." He said between mixed up expressions.

She raised an eyebrow and after he was done, there was an awkward silence. Then they both bursted into laughter. "I told you!"

"Yes, and you were right…" He laughed, feeling his head in relief. "And to think that you had more than me… it makes me feel rather guilty."

She was about to answer when suddenly she felt sick. Everything started to spin and it only took seconds for Alex to discover what was going on, or part of it. She fell on the floor, hard, and getting a small bump on her head.

"Elli!" He yelled desperately. "Come quick! I need you to help!"

"What's wrong?" She asked and then gasped at what she saw. "What happened!?"

"No time… help me." He muttered while reaching out for Claire, who was still limp on the floor.

…oOo…

On the Inner Inn, three girls where talking casually about the upcoming festivals. Each with a glass of juice, a large plate filled with junk food and a smile on their faces.

"So Ann, what are you wearing for the Goddess festival?" Popuri asked, grinning.

"Hmmm… not sure." She shrugged. "I guess the same old dress."

"Well, I'm going to wear my pink, lacy and long puffy dress!" Popuri squealed happily. "How 'bout you, Karen?"

"I'll go with a golden-brown one that I bought a long time ago."

"But Karen, isn't that the extra short one…?" Popuri asked and then sipped her juice.

"Exactly." She nodded with a sly smile, making Ann roll her eyes and Popuri smile uneasily.

…oOo…

Back on the clinic, things where going better. It had been around two hours from the accident, and now Claire had finally reacted. First she growled with a frown, feeling her head spin and hurt.

"Alex! She's waking up!" A girl shrieked, who Claire guessed was Elli.

"Really!? Good. I got the results, she'll be fine." He said as he made his way to the waking girl.

"…what…happened?" She mumbled while placing a hand on her aching head.

"I'll go back to my desk if you need me." Elli told Alex, then turned to Claire. "Don't worry, I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm sorry, Claire." Alex said after Elli left with guilt. "I shouldn't have given you the medicine unless it was completely safe or tested before…"

She blinked a couple of times, remembering the bottle of green medicine from earlier. "Oh… well, I'll live…"

"Yes, but still…" He continued, but she signaled him to stop.

"I'm fine. It was just an accident… just don't let it happen again, okay?" She sighed with a faint smile. "Can I go home soon?"

"Uh… you're going to have to stay until tomorrow." He said calmly while looking through some papers.

"…great." She mumbled sarcastically, letting her head rest on the pillow again, and then she stared at the ceiling. "Now I'll never finish my work on the farm…"

Alex gave her a sad look, and then turning his attention to the floor he sighed. "You know, tomorrow's Wednesday and I don't have any work… if you want I can help you…"

"Nah…" She sighed tiredly. "I'll do it; it's your day off after all."

"It really doesn't matter; I've always loved that farm." He said while pulling a nearby chair to the side of her bed. "Besides, it's my fault you're here to begin with."

"Al, I said no. I won't let an accident ruin your day of relaxation, okay? Don't feel so guilty, I'm okay." She frowned, opening one eye when she felt his hand on her own.

"Please…? If you say no then… well… I'll go anyway." He pouted and turned his face to the left.

"Fine… if you insist." She shrugged with a roll of her eyes, then laughing as he looked at her with a huge smile. "But only once… because it's your fault I'm here."

When he saw her smiling too, he let a chuckle escape his lips and stood up. "Well, I've better let you get your rest for the day; tomorrow we have a pretty busy day."

"Yeah…" She sighed. He smiled and waved goodbye, closing the door on his way out, leaving Claire alone in her room. "_We _have a busy day tomorrow… why does that sound so… cute?"


	4. Farming team work

Hi there! Sorry for the long time with no update, life's been tough for me. Anyhow, here's a Doc X Claire chapter! They're finally going to work on the farm! R&R!

* * *

As darkness blended to light, two eyes couldn't find a way to close and sleep for the couple of hours that were required for a goodnight sleep. After several minutes of trying to sleep, he gave up, sighing sadly. With a glance toward the clock on his bedroom wall, a growl unwillingly left his mouth.

"It's too early…" He wined with his head on his pillow. "I'm so tired…"

It was very early, not even close to his average time to wake up. He was tired, but not sleepy, that was for sure. After tossing and turning for around ten minutes, he gave up, standing from the warm bed into the cold floor.

"Where are my shoes?" He asked himself with a frown, spotting them rather quickly.

He felt strange; a strong will to run kicked in, making him rush to the door and laugh.

"I wonder why I'm so hyperactive today... Or why am I talking to myself so much and find it hilarious." He reasoned with a chuckle. He shrugged and continued his way through the empty clinic. He reached the front door and without a second thought he walked out, thanking God for it was a beautiful clear morning.

When the door closed loudly, it woke up Claire, who was sleeping in the room right beside it. She gasped in surprise and looked out the window, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's Al doing up so early?" She wondered, getting up from the clinic's bed. After finding her way through the building to the door, she ran after the yawning doctor.

"Hmmm… where do I go now? The sun's about to rise…" He mumbled while scratching the back of his head. "A walk through the beach seems quite nicely."

Claire spotted his jet black hair from far away and smiled, she was getting closer. He got inside the town square and turned to the left. She fastened her pace and got there just as he sat on the boardwalk. He was swinging his legs on the air, staring at the clouds that covered the raising sun on the horizon.

"Hi there!" She smiled, running and then sitting beside him on the wooden floor.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be resting." He scowled while crossing his arms.

"It's hard to sleep when people are around slamming doors…" She hinted with a smirk.

He got embarrassed and slightly blushed. "I'm sorry; I was… and still am a little hyperactive this morning."

"Oh, medicine side effects?" She asked with a shrug, receiving a nod. She took a look at her watch and sighed. "Well, we've better get going to work; you know… early bird catches the worm…"

"Ok, let's go." He smiled while standing up.

He offered a hand, which she gladly accepted with a smile and tried to hide the sudden blush that appeared. "I wonder why they say that. Who wants to have a worm anyway…?"

He laughed with her and then brushed some sand off his white clean clothes. The walk was silent, but it was nice. The spring breeze brought the sweet scent of flowers, giving a special touch to the bright day. After reaching the farm, Alex gasped.

"You did this…?" He asked in amazement.

All the stones and branches where gone, only a few weeds and builders where on the field. A few tree stumps where on the south side, two to be exact. Over all, it looked a lot better than how it was a few days ago.

"Yeah, but I got bored so I went to see you!" She smiled, walking toward her house. "Come on, I fixed this place too… kinda…"

He followed and once the light switch was turned on, he couldn't help but smile. "Well, here's a statement…"

All the dust and spider webs were gone, along with some random bugs that lived there. Now the room was clear, the picture on the walls where replaced, decorative paper was glued and even a small rug was near the bed. It looked different, like an explosion of black and purple with light shades of lavender all around. It was mostly purple.

A small round rug was on front of her bed, the color? Well, it was red with black spots… with antennas. A ladybug rug on a Goth's room... awkward, but it brought some light into the room, which wasn't very dark to begin with.

"Well?" She asked with a curious look.

"It looks very nice, just like your personality! If I didn't know you I would have expected to see a dark black cave-like room." He truthfully admitted with a smile.

"Nah, not my style… and peaking of style, you're not planning on working on those, are you?" She asked while pointing to his white clothes. "Hold on, I got something in here that should fit you…"

She started to browse through her rather small box, making Alex feel uncomftable. "Uh, Claire… what are you looking for, exactly?"

"This." She answered with a blue overall on her hands. "It's his, I'm sure he won't mind."

He looked at the picture she pointed out of her and a young man hugging each other with a smile. Suddenly, he felt sick to his stomach and just couldn't think of a way to refuse to use _those_ clothes. He honestly didn't want to wear someone else's clothing, especially someone that close to his newest friend.

"I'm not wearing your boyfriend's clothes." He said while crossing his arms with a frown.

Claire looked surprised and gasped, she looked confused. "What boyfriend!? That's my brother!" She laughed and looked as he blushed again, this time a million shades of crimson blasted in his face. "Come on, try it on!"

"I'm not sure if I should…"

"Oh please, I'll wait outside." She smiled, throwing him the blue clothes and brown boots, and then she was walking out the door. "That… was… awkward…"

A few minutes later he walked outside, wearing the farming clothes she had said, from the hat to the boots. They were a little tight, but still, they were comftable. He walked next to her; she was pulling out a weed without much enthusiasm with a huge black sun hat.

"Well… here I am." He announced, giving her a little smile. "What do you think?"

She smiled and nodded, giving him thumbs up. "It's not black, but it works. It looks a little small…"

"They're comfy you know… well, except for this." He said in a baby-like voice while pointing at his shirt. "You got anything bigger?"

"Sorry, that's the only clothes I have from my brother." She said with a shrug, letting go of the weed in her hand and standing up. "What are you gonna do now?"

"Hmmm… I can't work with this. Maybe I should get my usual working clothes."

"You're not gonna work with hospital clothing, Al."

"Fine." He said while crossing his arms. "I'll just try to work with these." He smiled and grabbed a hoe. "Are you gonna plant any seeds?"

Claire nodded, pointed to an area in the large field and laughed. "What's so funny?"

"You look… so different!" She smiled, noticing that he gave her a weird look.

"Is different good?" He shrugged with a risen eyebrow and didn't wait to see her answer, he got to work. After many tries, he couldn't stand it anymore and just tossed the shirt out, showing the flesh from his chest and back.

"Different is great…" She mumbled to herself with a little blush on her pale white cheeks. "Yeah, it's good Al."

"He-he… thanks…" He smiled, hiding his own blush. "That hat looks pretty nice on you too."

"Well, I'll guess I'll wear it more often then!" She laughed, falling back as she lifted the heavy hammer. "O…kay?"

"That didn't happen." Alex assured as he helped her up. "Why don't you pick up the weeds? You worked so hard yesterday… I wouldn't want you to get sick, I wouldn't forgive myself if I allow it."

When his mind registered what he said, he turned around, looking for a way to stop the glowing red cheeks that could be seen miles away. "I'll do it…"

"No! You're not even supposed to be here to begin with. Don't push it." She said stubbornly, picking up the hammer once more and hitting a builder as hard as she could. "Wahoo! One down… a bazillion to go…"

"Ah, don't rush it. It's not like you have a time limit." He said with a sigh. "I have to work as fast as I can in an emergency…"

Claire stood quiet and just shook her head, thinking. "Hmmm… Al? Has anybody… you know… died in your hands…?"

He sighed softly and gave her a soft smile. "No, I still haven't experienced such a horrible experience."

"That's good." She smiled in relief; she was afraid that he had gone through a situation like that, but if not, why does he overwork himself so much? "Do you ever take a break?"

"Well, it depends on my mood… why, do you want to take a break now?" He asked concerned.

"No, just wondering." She shrugged, changing her tool to a sickle. "Wow! This is faster than pulling them out!"

"Be careful with that!" He warned, giving her a look that said that it was safer the slowest way. She just nodded with a smile and continued to work.

After a couple of hours, they were done with mostly the entire field, except for a couple of builders and stumps. It was getting hot from so much work, so they decided to call it a day and just rest for a while under the shade of the apple tree.

The wind was blowing gently, making the heat go away slowly, but refreshingly. They were both on the grass, staring at the shifting clouds. Sighing, Alex stretched and looked up toward the tree, noticing something he didn't before.

"Uh… Lei… there's a beehive!" He said worriedly, pointing to the yellow hive just a few feet above their heads.

"Yeah, I know." She replied with a shrug. "Why do you point it out?"

"Well… maybe because bees sting?" He insisted sarcastically. "Let's get out of here!"

"No Al! They won't sting you if you don't get close, trust me. I gather their honey all the time." Claire assured, taking out a jar from her rucksack.

"But they're dangerous." He informed stubbornly. "You know it, why do you even get near them?"

Claire sighed and just looked at him, he was frowning. She flashed a smile, which made him look confused, then they both bursted into laughter. "Al, don't be so overprotective."

"I'll stop if you'll be more careful." He said with one eyebrow raised. "Do we have a deal?"

"Uh huh." Claire smiled and stretched out her hand. "Man, we worked a lot today!"

"Yes, well… we should go and eat something, it's not healthy to go around with an empty stomach." He stood up at the same time that she did and looked at the almost-clear field, tossing his own shirt back on.

Claire sighed and yawned. "I _am_ pretty hungry… come on, there must be a place to eat around here. Do you guys have any fast food restaurants?"

Al looked at her like if she had grown another head, and then shook his head with a frown. "You actually eat that junk food?"

Claire looked around and mumbled ashamed. "Uh, yeah."

"That's too bad, because they don't have anything like that here. This place is very remote, but… there is the inn, which is also a restaurant."

"What!? You mean… there's nothing city-like here?"

"No. You're gonna have to learn to live by nature." He said with a smirk.

"Good! I'm gonna miss a good hamburger, but well, its better this way. The city has too much contamination and it stinks." She nodded and started to walk into the field, confusing him.

Al saw as she hopped over a rock, bent down and grabbed something he didn't see. "Claire, there's no signal in here."

"Darn it! I didn't know it included cell phones too!" She wined. "But… there _is _a phone here, right? I wanna call my family every once in a while."

"Sure is, at the inn!" He smiled.

Claire walked next to him with her small phone on her hand and smirked. "Are you hungry?"

"…why?" He asked worriedly.

Claire's smirk got bigger. "You know… running is good for you, and you look like a fine runner to me…"

She dropped her phone and Alex knew where this was going. "No! I'm not gonna run to the inn!"

"Oh, yes you are." She smiled, crossing her arms. "Race 'ya!"

In less than a second, both of them rushed through the farm's grounds and got to the town's sidewalk. The wind blew hard in both their ears, making them smile. They continued with their race, and Claire noticed that he indeed _was_ a good runner. He rushed on front of her and touched the door to the inn with her a few seconds behind.

"…wow… that was fast… Al." Claire said between breaths.

She really didn't expected him to run, she actually thought that he would look at her like if she was an alien and laugh at her, but well, we can't say she cares much of what other's think.

Alex felt strange, he wasn't acting like the sophisticated, mature and well behaved doctor he always was, it was actually… fun! He enjoyed running, laughing and even to have pointless arguments once in a while. Over all, he missed to have fun. Remembering that she was talking to him, he turned to face her.

"Really? …well… you're pretty fast… yourself…" He smiled, gasping too.

They opened the door and reached the counter, asking for water immediately. Ann gladly took the order and went to the back room to find two glasses with ice. Alex and Lei were still out of breath, so they just looked around curiously.

"You know… I don't usually come here." Alex admitted with a faint smile.

Claire looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

He shrugged and smiled at Ann, who just got there. "Thanks."

"No problem!" Answered the red haired girl with a wide smile. "So… you two are friends now?"

"Yup. Hey, didn't I saw you at the beach?" Claire asked with a small frown.

Ann nodded. "Yeah, I was there when you got here!"

Claire thought for a couple of seconds, trying to figure out where exactly did she saw her. "You were with that girl with anger management problems!"

"Oh, you mean Karen?" Ann said with a confused look. "Yeah, I was with her. And yeah, sometimes her mouth gets a little ahead of her brain."

"Sadly, she isn't as mature as she should be and still believes on those social rates, you know, who's popular and what not." Alex explained calmly, taking a sip of his water.

"Really, you don't say… so… where on this chart are you?" Claire asked, taking the glass of water gratefully.

He thought for a moment, and then sighed. "I guess I'm the overworking, old like person."

"And to think that you're not old at all." Ann mumbled while sitting beside them.

"You know, that's just pointless." Claire said with a smile.

Ann looked at Alex with a frown and crossed her arms. "What's with this look, doctor?"

"Oh, I was helping Claire with some farming." He informed happily.

Claire nodded, while Alex continued to chat casually with Ann. An hour later, both Alex and Claire came out, stomach as full as ever and about to blow. They slowly made their way to the supermarket, ready to buy some seeds to plant. Unknown to them, Karen was there and in a very bad mood.

* * *

So yeah, I made the doctor a little less serious than how he is on the game, but well, I liked it. Remember to review! Oh, and check out my profile! Maybe you'll end up joining WUAC! It explains what it is there.

Now, review like the wind! push that little button!

No, really, tell me how to make it better if U didn't like it, k?

...oOo...

Ciao!

GA#


	5. Imaginary Family

OMG, I'm sooooo sorry! I really thought that I had updated this story already... well, anyway, here it is...

Thanks for the reviews! Please stick around, I don't leave the stories incomplete, no matter how much it takes to update it'll get finished... eventually. Thanks for all, now READ!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except erm... oh what the heck, I don't own anything. lol

* * *

As the two friends exited the Inn and were on their way to the Supermarket, some yells where heard. Claire looked at Alex with a worried and questioning gaze, meanwhile he just shook his head, sighing sadly.

"Don't worry about that; I believe that it must be Karen." He said softly, slowing down his pace.

Claire looked at him in disbelief. "How do you know that?"

"Well, I do live next door… I guess I'm used to all her yelling and arguments." He shrugged, explaining it softly so they couldn't overhear, although it was impossible with all the noise.

Claire nodded and opened the door to the supermarket carefully, hoping that they wouldn't notice their presence until they where done. She turned to Alex with a worried look and shook her head.

"Let's come back later, when everything's quieter."

Alex looked around and smiled softly. "Don't worry, this will be over soon. If you want I can show you around town for a bit, at least the church."

Claire nodded and walked out with him, relaxing slightly. He sighed as he heard more yells and continued to walk to the right of his clinic, where a man and two kids where standing by, chatting happily. He waved and smiled softly when they imitated his action.

"Good morning, doctor." The two kids: May and Stu, said in a sing-sang voice. They where both looking up at he tall man with identical smiles that where filled of innocence and cuteness all over.

"Why, good morning to you too." Alex smiled politely, and then looked up at Carter, the pastor. "And good morning to you… three, correct?"

The two little kids laughed innocently, and noticed that so did the grown ups. May managed to control herself enough to answer. "Mr. Doctor, you're supposed to say too! Not three!"

Alex bent to her size and smiled wider. "Oops? My bad! Sorry."

May placed a hand on his head and petted it cutely, her eyes shinning brightly. "Its okay, you learned something today."

Alex nodded and thanked her for teaching him, then turned to Carter with a smile. "How are you today, Carter?"

The elder man smiled softly, and replied in a calm voice. "I'm fine, how about you?"

"Good." He looked behind him and noticed that May and Stu where having quite an interesting conversation with Claire. "I wanted you to meet her, but I guess we should wait until their conversation is over."

"Yes, it would be the polite thing to do." Carter laughed slightly, watching curiously the children talk excitedly.

"…and then, we went swimming! It was fun! Then they gave us cookies and ice-cream!" Stu rambled, practically jumping at the memory.

May nodded in agreement and continued for him. "Yes! There was chocolate, and cherry, and strawberry!"

Claire laughed softly and nodded. "It sounds great! I'm already excited for beach day."

She stood up and smiled at Alex and Carter, who where watching her and the kids with interested faces. May and Stu where talking with each other about their last day of summer, which apparently was one of their most treasured memories. Random words like "waves" or "beach ball" could be heard, as if they where more important than the rest.

"They are wonderful children, aren't they?" Carter asked lovingly, as if they where his own.

Both of them nodded and chatted for a while. Around ten minutes later, a furious Karen walked beside them, running along the street toward the beach. Everyone exchanged worried glances, and Carter volunteered to go and check on her; leaving Alex and Claire to baby-sit May and Stu.

"Alright kids, get inside the church gates." Alex said, smiling slightly as if to show that they weren't in trouble. "We better keep you safe until Carter comes back."

"Okay, Mr. Doctor!" Both kids chorused, running energetically inside the gates and into a small garden.

Claire followed the kids with her view, smiling as Stu picked up a flower and gave it to May. "Those two are just adorable."

"Yes, they are." Alex agreed, nodding and walking beside her to see them better.

"Why did you send them inside?" She asked, turning her face to the right to see him.

He smiled shyly. "I've never baby-sitted anyone, and well, I wouldn't want to loose the children on my first try."

Claire laughed and shook her head. "Come on, Al. You're a natural."

"Really?" He asked, giving her a quizzical look. "You think so?"

"Yeah, you'll be a great father someday." She smiled, looking at him straight in the eye.

He didn't know why, but when she said that, a blush came instantly toward his cheeks. He hadn't thought about his future with a family, just about the future on his career. He could see himself finding the cure for many diseases, many people getting the benefits of his hard work; but he never imagined his life with a family of his own.

Suddenly, images of himself sitting on a rocking chair with two small toddlers came into his view. The slightly older version of him was reading a story, smiling as the young children laughed. He wanted to see more of his new imaginary family, perhaps the mother.

The little girl on his lap didn't give him much of a clue, since she looked like an exact replica of him, except in girl version. On the other side there was a young boy, who had his face buried on the book while laughing.

He woke from his daydream and realized that he got quiet for a little too long, and to evade any questioning about his thoughts he quickly said: "Yeah, maybe someday."

Claire raised an eyebrow, noticing how fast those words came out, but shrugged it off. She smiled again and looked behind her, where Carter returned with a teary eyed Karen. They walked passed them and straight into the supermarket, apparently they where still a few things to settle there.

"Are you sure everything will be fine there?" Claire asked Alex worriedly.

He nodded softly, and explained how it was often that they argued. It was something that the whole village got used to by now. The supermarket had been loosing clients, causing the family to stress easily.

"But… how is it that it's loosing clients? They sell the food and important things there." Claire asked after a while.

Alex thought for a while and shrugged. "I guess people seem to gain interest on going to the city, so they try to save as much money as they can, meaning they spend less, meaning-"

"Less clients." Claire finished, smiling. "Still, they sell seeds, so they have a loyal costumer here."

Alex laughed slightly, and gave the supermarket's door a quick glance. "Carter is very helpful to them. He's always trying to keep them calm."

Claire nodded and changed her view to Stu, who had a dragonfly on his hand and was placing it gently on the other side of the garden. He walked back to May with a smile. "Is that better?"

The small girl nodded with a smile. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." He smiled, and continued to play with her.

Alex turned around just in time to see Stu put the bug away. "What where you doing, Stu?"

The young boy looked up, slightly worried. "I was just putting that bug over there, because it was scaring May, Mr. Doctor."

Alex nodded and smiled. "Make sure to wash your hands."

Claire laughed softly, as she observed Alex and the way he got along with kids. Stu and May ran into the church to wash their hands, before Alex could continue with his long speech of the dangers of bacteria and germs. He seemed to be okay with it, and turned to Claire with a smile.

"I didn't mean to scare them with the microscopic wonders." He laughed, knowing perfectly well why they ran inside. He walked toward the gate and smiled when he saw Carter, who himself had a smile too.

"I assume everything went well?" Alex asked, looking curiously at the older man.

He nodded with a smile. "Yes, they are all concerned of the emotional damage they've caused on each other and are sorry for it."

"That's good to hear." Claire interrupted from Alex side, smiling. After a while of talking about what happened, May and Stu came out of the church laughing. They looked at Carter and waved, smiling brightly.

"Well, Carter, we'd better get going." Alex smiled after a while, saying goodbye to everyone. "Come on, Claire. Let's go get those seeds."

She nodded and followed him to the store, where the atmosphere was quiet and calm. Jeff was the only one there, on the counter. He looked up from a book he was reading and smiled, welcoming them politely.

Alex walked toward Jeff and engaged a conversation while Claire picked up some seed bags. She frowned slightly and raised her eyebrow when she noticed that they didn't have any names on them, but where classified by colors.

They both seemed to notice, because Alex smiled slightly and walked beside her. "Need any help?"

She only nodded while laughing. "Yeah, I'm completely lost."

Jeff looked over his counter and checked a list. "I strongly suggest the cucumbers if you plan to keep harvesting. If you need quick cash, the turnips will be the best choice."

"Yes, sir. I understand that, but which is which?" Claire asked with a shrug, pointing to all the bags.

"White are turnips, dark green are the cucumbers girl." He smiled, and looked down at his list. "The brown are potatoes and the other green are grass seeds, perfect for fodder."

"I'll take one turnip and one cucumber bag, please." Claire smiled, picking up the bags and walking toward Jeff.

She paid and walked out with Alex, reading a piece of paper that explained how to properly plant them. When they where done reading it, they where on the farm already. Alex walked up to the forgotten tools and picked up the hoe, then found his way to a weed free patch of soil.

"How about here?" He asked, looking at Claire.

She had picked up the watering can and was walking toward the river to fill it up. "Okay, its perfect there."

And once again, the farming in team started. A doctor and a city girl, both not knowing really what they where doing, and yet learning together. A very nice way to pass the time, get their minds out of their troubles and getting to know each other. A wonderful thing for a wonderful friendship.


	6. To watch as you sleep

I'm so ashamed that I haven't updated in soooo long, but my internet was down, writter's block, my pc had ton of viruses and a whole hell of other things that prevented me from even thinking of stories. I have a few chapters on my computer that are almost ready to upload, but I can't assure that they'll be here too soon.

Those of you who stuck around, THANK YOU!! I LOVE YOU ALL!! (Not in the creepy way, though XD) And those who didn't but just found themselves here, put it on alert so you can check it out soon! lol

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but their thoughts for the story.

* * *

After a nice and simple snack, every worry and stress over the farming was forgotten. Alex had offered to take a break from it all, but she insisted on checking out the mountains. He was more than happy to walk her around, of course.

Somehow, while they walked they seemed to have a conversation that led them to an argument quickly, by the time they were at the bridge on the south of the farm. After a few minutes, the small chaos seemed to calm down.

"Very well…" Alex sighed at some point of the conversation. "You can come to the clinic every once in a while to talk."

"Oh no, I want to help! I'm good at other things besides talking, I'm sure I can help around." She crossed her arms, faking irritation. "Or what, you don't think I can?"

That seemed to tense up the poor man. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you need much more experience!"

"Aw, but I let you work on my farm! It's not fair that I can't return the favor!"

Alex stopped right on track and looked at her seriously. "Claire, this isn't something that you can just go and do. You need many years of study, years of practice and-"

The blonde just lowered her view in slight disappointment. "It's okay… let's just go back to the farm. I want to go back to… to my not-as-important job."

"Claire! Don't take it like that!" That man waved his hands from side to side, giving her an apologic look. "I just meant that you need more than just good will and… stop pouting, please."

She sighed and smiled weakly, knowing that he was about to say yes. "Just forget I wanted to help you out, it's okay. I guess I can find something else to do…"

He raised an eyebrow. "You just got here, why don't you check out the stores and buildings?"

"I…" She thought of an excuse. She looked at his questioning gaze and sighed, admitting why shyly. "I was hoping to spend more time with you. I really like your company."

He smiled slightly, noticing that she was blushing a little. "Thanks. I like spending time with you too, but I have to get to work."

"I'm not telling you to stop working! I just wanted to stop by and help." She said, and then shrugged softly. "But really, it's okay. I get the hint, I'd just get in the way."

Alex noticed that she was trying miserably to hide a smirk. He rolled his eyes slightly and smiled. "Fine, fine; you can help. _But _you have to follow all of my instructions, do you understand?"

"Yes!" She smiled, her sad act disappearing. He just chuckled and led the way to the mountains, finding the atmosphere a bit too hot for the beginning of spring.



"Hey, Claire…" He scrunched up his nose, as if smelling something. His tone changed to a low and serious one, almost worried. "Do you smell that?"

The farmer joined in the sniffing, catching the stench quickly. "Smoke?"

They made a run for the source of the smell, finding smoke clouds not too far away. It was near the lake, on the base of the mountain. Alex dashed as fast as he could, following the black thin clouds that seemed to thicken by the second.

The red flames seemed to be spreading quickly, burning down the lawn in search of trees and bushes. It was relatively under control, as if it had started a bit ago. Alex couldn't exactly tell where he was, though he knew that the fire couldn't be too far.

Claire had stayed back, not being able to run as fast with the smoke all around. She didn't know that path as well as Alex did, so she was in a pretty helpless position.

"Hello!? Is anyone here!?" Alex yelled frantically, looking around the lakeside. He found the fire, which luckily hadn't spread too far just yet. Immediately, he tried to put it out while keeping his eyes open for anyone hurt. A few seconds later, Claire caught up with him and helped to stop what was left of the fire with her watering can.

In around two or three hours, the fire was out and the smoke was starting to clear. Both of them ended up on different sides of the lake, checking for anything out of the ordinary. Claire wiped her sweat tiredly, blinking some burning tears away. "Al? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He assured, finally convinced that everything was back on order. "Do you see any-?"

"OH MY GODDESS!" Claire shrieked, scaring Alex half to death.

"What is it!?" He yelled back, looking for a way to get there. "What's wrong!?"

"There's someone here! He's out cold!"

…oOo…

The big man got dragged to the clinic with Zack's help and was treated for his injuries. The doctor had to put him to sleep for a while; he needed to regain some strength to recover.

"How did this happen, Alex?" Elli asked worriedly as soon as he walked out of the room. "Is he okay?"

"He'll be alright. Keep the antibiotics coming every six hours until his fever is gone. Change his leg bandages every once in a while too."

"Yes, sir." Elli nodded, taking notes.

"As for what happened, we'll just have to wait and ask."



"I see; I'll treat him right away." The nurse said and quickly found her way to their patient. Meanwhile, Alex was sitting on his desk, checking Gotz's records.

"It seems he hasn't come for a check-up in years… _if _he ever got one that is." He mumbled to himself.

How could anyone be careless about a serious matter as their health? He just couldn't think of reasons that would justify that. A knock on the door got him out of his thoughts and frustrations. "Who's there?"

"It's me, Claire. I wanted to say good bye, Al." She yelled before opening the door. "I'll be back tomorrow to see how Gotz is doing, ok?"

"Sure. Take care and remember to eat well and rest." He nodded, getting back to work. He dropped Gotz's empty records and sighed. _'I sure hope you aren't allergic to the medicines, Gotz.'_

…oOo…

The next morning found Alex working on his plants and herbs. He was looking for anything that would help with the carpenter's burns and bruises. His cup of coffee was emptied for the third time, but he wasn't going to give up on his research, even if he had to work restlessly.

His eyes were bloodshot and had dark circles underneath. He knew that he wasn't in the best condition to do his research; after the fire he just took a shower and got back to work. A little rest would probably suit him well, but then he thought about Gotz and how horrible he must be feeling. That was enough to keep him working.

"Alex? What are you doing here so early? You should be resting!" Elli said as soon as she saw his messed up state. "Go up and sleep for a while, I'll take care of the clinic for the day."

"I can't let you do this on your own!" He argued, yawning involuntarily. "I feel five…"

"…What?" Elli raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I meant fine! I can work all day… no problem… really!"

"Oh, Alex. Just go to sleep." Elli rolled her eyes and pushed him toward his room. "If anything happens, I'll call you down."

The doctor had his eyes closed in exhaustion, so he simply agreed and changed to his PJs, then dropped on the bed. Elli had closed the door and just shook her head in disapproval, and then walked down towards Gotz's temporary room.

After a few hours, Gotz groaned and looked at his surroundings. Elli was still there and noticed; she sat beside him with a clipboard. "How are you feeling?"

"I… I've been better." He weakly answered on his rough voice. "Can I go home?"



Elli smiled and checked his bandages. "I'm afraid not yet. Your flesh is still too sensitive for you to leave."

The man groaned again as he tried to sit. When he finally did, he sighed loudly. "And how am I supposed to get lumber for my job?"

"It shouldn't take long for you to recover." She assured while getting up. She walked toward the door and flashed Gotz a smile. "I'll be at the desk, call me if you need anything. Soon we'll discuss the origin of this accident, but first we'll need you all better."

He nodded and fell back again to sleep. "Sure thing, missy."

…oOo…

Hours passed by slowly with no outstanding events. It was a nice clear day, everything was quiet and calm. Elli was sitting on her desk reading a book that she borrowed from Mary, the librarian. Claire opened the front door around noon, peeking inside with a smile. She walked towards Elli, who was still covered behind the book.

"Elli?" She blinked in confusion, noticing that she really wasn't concentrating, but instead was asleep with her eyes open. She shook her shoulder gently, startling the poor nurse. "Are you okay, Elli?"

"Oh my, I'm so sorry!" The girl said nervously, blinking a few times. Claire just smiled and said that it wasn't her fault, though she asked if something was wrong. "Not exactly…"

"What do you mean?" The blonde asked, taking a chair and sitting across the desk.

"You see," Elli started; looking toward the stairs to make sure Alex wasn't there. "The doctor is overworking himself lately… he's become obsessed with finding a cure for Lillia, Jeff and now Gotz. I'm worried for him, he hardly gets a rest."

Claire's eyebrows rose slightly. "He really takes his job seriously… but for goodness sake! He's a doctor; he knows that overworking isn't good for him!"

"I've told him that, but he doesn't listen." The brunette sounded upset. "He never listens to me…"

Claire studied the girl's features; she seemed to be a bit lost in thought, but regained her posture quickly. "Anyway, Carter and I have been telling him to take it easy but gotten nowhere."

"Does it really have to be this difficult to be the doctor here? I mean, he mentioned that no one comes to the clinic."

"Not really, but that research of his will be the death of him." Elli said, shivering afterwards. "Okay, maybe that was a little too dark of a thought…"

Claire just laughed softly. "Yeah, just a bit. I was also wondering about Gotz. How is he?"



Elli explained briefly that he was getting better. After talking for a few minutes, Claire dragged Alex to the conversation again. "So, is he at his office?"

"Sorry, he's at his bedroom. I made him go to sleep." Elli giggled at the thought of him walking up the stairs half awake while arguing about how he had to work. "Apparently he didn't sleep last night, so he's resting now."

Claire nodded and smiled, looking at a small mirror that was on Elli's desk. She fixed her eyeliner slightly, and then placed it back. "Oh, before I forget, I got something for you."

"What?" Elli tilted her head to the side curiously.

Claire pulled out a small bottle of honey from her rucksack and placed it on the desk. Elli smiled brightly and picked it up. "Thank you!"

The blonde just smiled and shook her head slightly. "No problem."

Both of them could hear a sound coming from Gotz's room. Elli quickly got up and heard a 'thump'. "Gotz? What's going on there?"

"I think I dropped some bottles o' pills… they're everywhere!" He answered sheepishly, sounding a bit better than in the morning. "And the glass of water broke to lil' pieces."

"I'll be right there." The nurse said, turning to Claire. "Be back in a jiffy!"

Claire waved it off, as if saying that it was okay. "Take your time."

As soon as the brunette was in Gotz's room, Claire looked up at the stairs. _'So tempting… I really shouldn't! I can't just barge inside his room… ah, whatever.'_

She made sure that Elli wouldn't see her and made a run for it. She found herself on a hallway with two doors, one next to each other. She opened the one on the left, but it was locked. Slightly disappointed, she walked toward the other door where light snoring could be heard.

Her heart started beating a bit faster from excitement and the worry of being caught. She took a deep breath and grabbed the knob, smiling as it opened the door without any sound. He was on the edge of the bed, upside-down. It took her a bit of effort not to laugh at the scene; he looked so adorable like that.

She softly walked over to the side of his bed and knelt next to him. Her heart felt as if it would jump out of her mouth in any second. _'What the heck did I get myself into!? I should just go…'_

She ignored her conscience and looked at him quietly for a few seconds. Elli would notice if she was gone for too long, especially if she didn't even say goodbye. _'Maybe she'll think I just left! I __**should **__leave, but…'_



Ignoring her common sense's warnings, she lowered the blanket that covered his head all the way to his chest. She smiled and pushed a strand of his hair away from his face, letting her hand rest on his cheek for a second. He yawned and moved a bit, causing her to pull her hand away and fall on her butt.

'_Okay, had my peek… I'd better go. Just why am I here anyway!?'_ She screamed on her mind, still a bit startled from his movement. She was about to stand up, but tripped over something. It was the mirror that he wore on his head that was now on the floor.

"What…?" Alex mumbled, waking up. To his surprise, blue eyes met his as soon as he opened them. He blinked in confusion. "Claire?"

'_Oh no! What do I do!? What do I say!?' _She bit her lip nervously. _'This is no time to panic! Actually… it's a __**perfect**__ time to panic!'_

"What are you doing here?" He asked, sitting up on the bed sleepily.

"I… erm… told you, I was coming to help!" She smiled sheepishly. "Elli told me to make myself right at home."

"So… you broke into my room to feel right at home?" He still didn't understand why Claire was in his room, or how in the world Elli would let her get up the stairs. Claire didn't answer, so he stood up. "Or did Elli tell you to come get me? Is there something wrong?"

"Erm… no." She sighed, looking at the floor in shame. Her face was starting to get red, and her mind didn't seem to help either. "She told me about your bad sleeping habits… I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

He seemed mostly convinced, so he nodded. "I'm fine… I should go and check how Elli's doing now that I'm awake."

She noticed that he was on his PJs and giggled. He looked at her in confusion, yet again, not realizing what was wrong. "Claire, there's nothing funny about wanting to know the clinic's condition."

She tilted her head to the side and smiled. "You know? You look so different on your pajamas… so-"

The only words that came to her mind were adorable and cute. She just remained quiet and let the words drop back to her imaginative head, letting the sentence unfinished. Alex looked at himself and opened his mouth, his cheeks slightly getting pink.

"I apologize…" He said sheepishly, but then his expression changed to a serious one in a second. "But you're the one that got in here… so I don't think that I should be apologizing."

Claire smiled and walked to the door. "I'll apologize after you wake up from your nap."

He looked at her as if she had grown another head. "You're not making any sense. I'm awake, so why did you-"



"Silly, I'm telling you to go back to sleep. Elli's taking great care of the clinic, so relax." She said, straightening her black shirt. He seemed a little tense, so she walked over to him. "I mean it. We're all worried about you; will you do us a favor and just rest for a while?"

He sighed and looked at the stairs. "Let me work, Claire. I'll rest once everything is done and everyone will be alright."

"Everyone except for you, Al." Claire sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just rest for today, alright? Everything will be okay, I promise."

"But-"

"I'll use force if I have to!" She said a little louder than she had to, causing him to jump a bit. _'Maybe he's still half asleep…'_

"Oh really…? I have no time for games." The doctor just rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed for the whole scene. But really, what would you do if a friend of yours appeared in your room just as you woke and kept insisting in you resting, preventing you to work?

"Heh… who's playing?" Claire had a strange smirk on her face as she reached for her rucksack. He just looked at her curiously, but backed up as soon as she took out her sickle. "Go. To. Sleep. NOW!"

"If you insist…" He said quickly, sitting on the bed. "Put the tool down, please. Don't do anything you might regret later!"

She laughed and placed the heavy tool on the floor. "Yeah, I knew you would agree with me. Now, since I'll be around the clinic for the day, I'll come to check on you every once in a while."

"I'm not a child!" He crossed his arms, standing up again. Claire picked up the sickle again, so he sat down with his eyes wide. "Fine."

"Have a nice nap!" She giggled, putting the sickle away. She was holding the urge to laugh, but then her act would have probably failed. Alex was glaring at her, slightly angry. She smiled and waved, then started to walk down the stairs. A creaking noise, much like the ones beds make when you get up, got her attention; when she looked back Alex was going to do that precisely.

"Ahem!" She raised an eyebrow, and the black haired man dropped, covering himself with the sheets. "I'm serious about the sickle! If you don't believe that I'll use tools against you, just ask the mayor!"

"Claire?" She turned around and came face to face with Elli. "What were you doing up there?"

"I… erm… just wanted to look around." Claire said, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. Elli still had a confused look on her face, but the blonde wasn't going to say anything else. "So, how's Gotz?"

"He's fine; you can go talk to him if you want." Elli smiled and sat down on her desk, grabbing the book. Claire started walking toward the patient's room, but the brunette stopped her. "What was all that yelling about your tools? You know, about the sickle?"



Claire gulped and smiled. "Oh nothing, I… it was nothing, really. I'll go see Gotz now, hehe…"

As soon as the blonde was gone, Elli looked up the stairs and noticed that nothing was too out of place. She was about to open Alex's door, but as soon as she got close to the door, soft snoring could be heard. _'I'd better not bother him… he must be exhausted.'_

On the other side of the door, Alex was covered from the top of his head to the tip of his toes with his blanket, afraid that it might be Claire who was walking around. Once the sound was gone, he sighed and uncovered himself in annoyance.

'_That girl is insane…'_ He thought seriously. He turned to the side and shook his head, trying to keep the sleep away. _'But… I should just go with this and rest… for a few… hours. I'm sure Elli's doing fine… I hope she is…'_

He fell asleep not too long after those thoughts into a deep and dreamless state of unconsciousness. Not too far from the clinic, three friends were walking around town. The girls were Popuri, Karen and Ann. They were chatting excitedly about the upcoming festival and about whom they wanted to dance with.

"I'm not much of a dancing person, anyway." Ann sighed after explaining how she hasn't found anyone that she could feel right with. Popuri agreed, nodding sadly.

"I know what you mean… I'll have to sit on the sidelines too, Kai isn't going to be here until summer… _if _he comes this year."

"You two are too depressed! You can have fun without dancing with a guy!" Karen smiled, trying to cheer them up. Popuri raised her view to roll her eyes.

"At least you get to go with Rick." The pink haired girl mumbled, kicking a pebble from the road. "We'll both be practically alone at the festival."

"He doesn't know how to dance, Po. I thought you knew that!" Karen shrugged, suddenly feeling a bit down too. "Ah well, we can always dance with Duke."

The other two girls exchanged disgusted glares, and then shared them with Karen. "You can NOT be serious!"

"Of course I'm not! Gosh!" She laughed, poking her friends. "We just needed something to cheer us up. We'll figure out what to do, I'm sure of it."

"If you say so." Ann shrugged as they turned by the winery toward the inn. "It won't be much of a loss, it's just a day."

"Yeah, and we always DO dance, just well… by ourselves." Popuri said, skipping ahead a few feet. "I wonder if we'll have to put the decorations this year."

"We always do!" Karen laughed. "Besides, don't you like to?"



"I don't." Ann said, crossing her arms as she rested her back against the inn's door. "I never know if we're doing it right… it worries me."

"Well don't worry; it'll look amazing this year, just like it always does! Right, Popuri?" Karen asked, turning to her friend. She nodded and smiled.

"Yup!" She walked next to Ann, waiting for her to open the door. Karen kept walking, looking back at them quickly.

"I have to get some medicines for my dad; I'll meet you guys in a while, okay?"

"Sure, we'll keep your seat warm! So hurry!" They waved good bye and entered the inn/restaurant, leaving Karen by herself to go do her things.

…oOo…

"Hey Elli! Where does this go?" Claire asked, picking up a few grasses. The nurse looked at her direction and pointed to a small fridge.

"Put them in there, I bet they'll last longer if refrigerated."

"I've seen these at the mountain!" The blonde smiled. "Are these the grasses that you use for the Bodigizer and the Turbojolt?"

"Yes." Elli smiled, pointing at some receives. "The clinic buys the grasses from Zack, so if you ship them it'll be a great help for us."

Claire nodded and looked at the prices. "Oh my… I'll ship as much as I can to see if Zack cuts his prices at half!"

"Yeah… business isn't going too well… and the prices keep going up. It's a little frightening." The nurse said, opening the book again. "But don't you worry, we always find a way."

Before Claire could continue with the conversation, Karen opened the door with a smile. She walked toward Elli's direction and bought Jeff's medicine; she then put it away on a small basket. Before she left, she noticed that Claire was there opening a few boxes of bandages.

"Hey, it's you!" She said as she walked over to the farmer. Claire looked at her direction with curiosity, wondering if the girl was going to argue again like the first time she got there.

"Yeah, it's me." She shrugged, smiling slightly. "You need something?"

"I wanted to apologize for being so rude the other day." Karen said with a sheepish smile. "I guess I was a little disappointed that you were the farmer."

Claire raised an eyebrow. "How can that be a disappointment?"



"I was kind of hoping that it was a boy farmer, you know? The guys at this place aren't exactly too appealing, so some fresh meat would have hit the spot. You know what I mean?"

"Erm…" Claire shrugged, placing the box of bandages on a table. "I guess."

"Hey, there's a festival coming soon! Why don't you join us?" Karen smiled, explaining their tradition of putting on a dress and dancing in honor of the Harvest Goddess. "We can get you into the main dance with us if you want."

"I'm not much of the dress type of girl." She laughed, looking at her dirty clothes. "And besides, it's a dancing festival… I'm not much of a dance type either."

"Aw, come on! You'll have fun! It's just once a year, give it a shot!" Karen picked up her basket and headed for the door. "Just think about it, if you decide to go let us know!"

"Alright." Claire waved and returned to the unpacking. _'I am so not going to another party to sit and watch other people dance…'_

Elli smiled behind her book. "You're going? We can hang out there together if you are."

"Nah… sorry, but I really don't think that I'll have fun." Claire sighed, wrapping her hair into a ponytail. She noticed that she was done with the boxes and dropped on a chair across the desk. Elli placed the book down and raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't you give it a shot this year? If you don't like it, then you don't _have_ to go back next year."

"I'll think about it, okay?" Claire smiled, playing with a pen. "Oh my goodness… I forgot to water my seeds!"

Elli giggled and shook her head. "Go ahead, I doubt that there's anything else to do in this place anyway."

And with that, the farmer ran out of the clinic toward her farm. Not too long after, Alex walked down the stairs in his work clothes. Elli glared slightly, setting the book on the desk. "What are you doing?"

"Shhh!" He signaled her to keep it down, looking around in fright. "Is Claire gone?"

"Yes, doctor. She left around an hour ago."

"Good." He smiled and walked to his office. Elli just looked at him in confusion, but shrugged it off. She followed Alex all the way to his desk and gave him some papers with Gotz's progress.

"He's getting better quickly. Great, tell him that he can go home." Alex nodded, signing the papers; then he stood to go to his laboratory part of the office. "I'll give him some bottles of Bodigizer and Turbojolt soon, free of charge."

"Very well." Elli sighed. _'He keeps giving things for free… we're never going to get better this way.'_



The nurse did what the doctor said and told Gotz that he could leave. The man was more than happy to hear the news; he could finally go back to his work. "You'll have to take care of yourself, Gotz."

"I know, I know." He groaned, sitting up. "All this naggin' is what stops me from comin' to this place."

"Oh," Elli looked down, slightly ashamed. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't ye' apologize for a silly thing like that." He smiled, standing up and patting her back. "I know it's true, I'll be careful 'round the fire and stuff."

"How did that disaster happen anyway?" She couldn't help but ask, helping the man regain his balance. He made a soft noise as he thought back of the events of yesterday.

"It was a bonfire that I had. I forgot to put the stone things around it to keep it from spreadin'."

By now they were on their way to his house, reaching it quickly before the night fell. Once they were at his door, they said goodbye after he swore to be more careful. "Hey missy, I wanna thank ya' for helping me and all that trouble…"

"Oh, it's just my job. It's no trouble at all."

"How would you like to go to the festival with me?" He asked in a polite manner, not wanting to sound like a perverted old man. "Just as an appreciation offer."

Elli smiled and nodded, helping him inside. "Alright then, I'll be glad to."

* * *

Erm... plz review? Tell me what you think! :3


	7. Will you go with me?

Wooh, got time! Lemme put it here quickly, lol

* * *

…oOo…

The days passed by and things seemed to be getting better. Alex had made a bit of progress on his research, Gotz was finally recovered from his burns, Lillia hadn't been feeling so weak in the past few days and Jeff's stomach aches seemed to be under control.

The clinic was running smoothly, and Alex had finally caught up with his sleep. He, with much insistence from Elli, Claire and Carter, had finally realized that if he didn't get a good rest then things would be tougher on work. Of course, as a doctor he knew that and even recommended rest to everyone, but as a person he had never applied the rule.

The town itself seemed to be more cheerful every day; everyone was excited to attend to the Harvest Goddess's festival. It was a great celebration where everyone got together and had a great time. Alex had mentioned a few times that too much partying around would lead to trouble, but after a long talk with Carter, he realized that it was a celebration not only for a good time but also held religious reasons.

Overall, the joy was spreading like a disease and so was the top theme of conversation: who was going with whom to the festival? Manna, Sasha and Anna got together at earlier times just to talk about the possibilities of people going together, or who would go alone. It was a little busier on Mineral Town on this occasion than many others, but that's the way everyone liked it.

"This year's festival is going to be beautiful, don't you agree?" Carter asked his friend Cliff, who just sat on the front row of the church.

The shy man looked up and nodded, smiling a bit. "It's always a nice festival."

The priest smiled back and closed his eyes, simply to enjoy the quietness of the church. It was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the front door that echoed into the big area. He tilted his head to the side slightly, and smiled sweetly when he noticed a blonde farmer that entered.

"Good morning, Carter." Claire smiled, giving the man a flower. "How are you today?"

"I'm pretty good, child." He took the flower while nodding, changing his view from the girl to the poor Cliff that seemed to become uncomfortable with someone else on the same room. "Claire, do you mind doing me a little favor?"

"Sure, anything." She looked at him with big curious eyes. "What do you need?"

"You see that man over there?" He asked, and she nodded. "I want you to introduce yourself and try to talk to him."

"What…?"

"You see… he's not very social; I really don't like to see him so depressed. Maybe a little conversation will cheer him up!"

Claire looked at him and then at herself. "No offence… but do I look approachable to you?"

Carter chuckled under his breath and petted the girl's head. "I know you have your reasons to dress like you do… but just try?"

"I'll try…" Claire shrugged slightly and walked over to Cliff. "Hey! I'm Claire, who are you?"

"I… erm… Cliff." The man backed away a bit, looking at the floor. She just looked at him, noticing that she had seen him but never actually talked to him. "What do you want? Is there something on my face or what?"

"No." She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask that?"

"What's it to you? Just go away and leave me alone."

"Jeez, talk about rude." Her look hardened in a glare, and then she turned to Carter. "I gotta go, I don't feel very well."

Cliff felt bad and wanted to apologize, but she had already left the church. He looked at Carter with a questioning look, who just shrugged sheepishly.

Claire walked around town and wanted to go to the clinic, but after checking her watch she knew that it was still too early for their opening time. She sighed and kept walking slowly, thinking that maybe she could be a bother for them if she went to visit so often.

She sat on the bench between the store and the hospital, simply enjoying the sound of nature and how it mixed with the busy little town that she now lived in. Not long after, she entered the supermarket to see what she could afford, her mood not in its best state.

"Good morning, Jeff." She said in a not-so-jolly tone; that guy really put her happiness down. He nodded to show that he acknowledged her presence as he continued to work on some papers behind the register. "I'll take the rucksack…"

"It'll be 3000g, Miss Claire." He looked up and took the money. "Come again soon."

"…Alright." The farmer walked out with a larger rucksack and a smaller wallet. Sure, things at the farm had been going well, but she still felt as if something wasn't right. She felt like everything had fallen into a monotone lifestyle and it was something that she definitely didn't like.

"Maybe I should get some animals for this place… a chicken perhaps." She sighed once she entered her farm. It looked quite empty, especially now that most of the stones and branches were gone. Her little dog welcomed her home by jumping and running around, rolling on the dirt to get her attention. She cracked a smile and picked him up, scratching behind his ear.

"You're a little too happy, you know that?" She placed the little fur ball on the ground again and walked inside her house, sitting on the couch afterwards. She turned on the TV without much enthusiasm, ready to kill the rest of the hours that she had by herself. "Things aren't exactly what I expected… maybe I should go back."

She took a deep breath and sat back as 'Life on the Farm' started. She knew that she hadn't been in Mineral Town for more than a week, so maybe a few days there wouldn't be bad. She just had to get adapted to the place and to the people. She needed to like something besides her own farm… and besides the clinic, they were probably sick of her by now.

She didn't like those thoughts, but they didn't seem to get out of her mind. She couldn't shake off the thought that maybe by hanging out with her friends so often won't make them closer, but instead pushed them away. She wanted to be careful, friends like Elli and Alex don't simply grow on trees and they aren't exactly easy to find.

After the show was over, she realized that it was still relatively early. Without much thinking, she stood up and headed to the woods to pass time. "Maybe I'll take a good look at that mine that Zack told me about…"

On the other side of town, both Elli and Alex were wondering why Claire hadn't show up yet. Elli was at his office, helping him put away some old records while talking about it. "Maybe she's mad?"

"Mad? Why would she be mad?" He frowned, shrugging. "I even went to sleep when she told me to, for goddess's sake. That can't be it."

"Well, maybe not mad… maybe it's more like upset, or disappointed."

Alex just stared at her blankly; trying to understand what would she be disappointed about. Elli rolled her eyes and smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know that the Harvest Goddess festival is tomorrow, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Who doesn't with Manna around?" He chuckled. "But what does that have to do with this?"

"You really are _special_, aren't you? She might want to go to the festival." Elli tried to put it out as simple as she could, yet the black haired doctor didn't understand. He could be so smart for some things, but so clueless for others…

"She told us she wasn't going! You're really not making any sense." Alex seemed to be getting annoyed since he didn't really understand his brunette nurse.

"Look Alex, I can't say this any simpler. She wants to go to the festival, just not alone."

"And why would she be disappointed in _me_ for?" He sat down and scratched his head, slightly frustrated.

"Figure it out by yourself. You're smart." She sighed, placing the last file on the cabinet. "I'm going to grandma's house now, see you later!"

"Wait! Tell me first!" He groaned, rubbing his aching head. Elli ignored him and walked outside, rolling her eyes at the ignorance of her partner.

He shrugged the matter off and once it was around five he closed the clinic. Slightly worried about what could be wrong with Claire, he went to her farm to talk it all out. She wasn't there so he kept searching. The afternoon was soon turning into night, the sky changing colors from blue to orange and pink.

He went through the woods and didn't see her; the faint light of a post barely reached the tree filled area. "Claire?"

The blonde farmer was sitting on the Harvest Goddess's pond, listening to the waterfall on the small pool on the bottom. She had heard many legends of the Goddess being real and that it only appeared if you made an offering, but she doubted that the Goddess would want any junk ore that she had on her rucksack so she didn't even bother.

She was thinking about how everything had changed lately for her, how her life had taken such a big turn. She used to be the vice president of a huge company in New York, and now she was a down to earth farmer, with nothing but her crops and products to keep her going. So the life there wasn't as threatening as the life in the city, so there wasn't as much excitement and parties all around the corner. So what? She liked it that way, nice, quiet, and with people who wouldn't hurt you for anything in the world; it was almost a perfect life.

"Claire? Are you here?" Alex walked through the path that led to the pond, spotting the girl not too far away. He sighed in relief and approached her. "Oh, here you are!"

"Doctor? What are you doing here?" She stood up and dusted herself, then turned her attention to him in confusion.

He talked to her worriedly about how he thought that she was mad at him. She laughed and shook her head, letting him know that everything was fine. He walked under the waterfall; the shadow of his body got messed up by the liquid crystals that continued to fall. He peeked through the clear curtain and signaled her to get closer with his finger, smiling unsurely and perhaps a bit worriedly.

She walked after him and smiled near the edge of the waterfall, watching the whole Goddess's pond from a whole new perspective. With the shadows of the night dancing with the wind, the place looked a lot different.

He looked at her sweetly, admiring her beauty on the moonlight. She looked like an angel that fell from heaven, only slightly adapted to the human life. As a friend, she was the best thing that happened to him lately, and he wouldn't let himself lose a friendship because of a simple misunderstanding, if that was the reason anyway. He didn't know what had her upset, but it didn't matter, he'd try to cheer her up.

After much assurance from her part that she wasn't mad at him, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly Elli meant with her being 'disappointed in him'. When she reached his side on the slippery rocks, he looked at her with curious eyes. He couldn't just ask her directly what Elli meant to say, so he just covered the matter by indirectly asking if she wanted to go to the festival at all.

"So Claire… you know the Goddess festival is coming up soon, right?"

"Festival…? Yeah! It's tomorrow, right?" Claire nodded, a little seed of excitement growing in the pit of her stomach. "Gotz gave me a dress for the occasion, apparently it was supposed to be his daughter's… but I haven't made up my mind yet."

"Why not?" Alex sat down on the grass near the cave and petted the wet ground beside him. "It'll be fun."

She sat down and sighed, looking at him in slight sadness. It was mixed with a bit of embarrassment too; she didn't know what to say exactly. "I… I don't know how to dance."

Alex blinked and smiled. "Is that why? Oh, you should have told me!"

"Why would I tell you that?" She smiled back, picking out a few grass leaves. "It's not something to be proud of…"

"Come here." He stood up softly and looked down at her. She looked like a lost child when she frowned in confusion, but he bent down and grabbed her hand to make her feel better on an awkward situation like that. "I'll teach you."

"But… there's no music." She looked down shyly with a smile after she stood up, trying to look anywhere but him.

He smiled a bit more as he walked toward a bigger space and wrapped his arm around her waist gently, grabbing her hand at the same time. She looked at his eyes, a pink blush covering her cheeks. "You don't need music to dance, just close your eyes and follow my lead."

She obediently did so, a gasp escaping her lips as his grip around her tightened a bit. He laughed under his breath, tickling her ear with his warm breath. He then moved to the left, making the first move on their dance. "Don't worry; I'm not going to do anything inappropriate to you."

Her cheeks felt like if they were on fire; she had never been this close to anyone, let alone someone as sweet and hansom as Alex. She felt safe on his arms, yet nervous and worried of letting him down on something as simple as dancing. With a deep breath, she moved to the left too, following his lead like he had said and smiled when he kept moving around as a sign of approval.

Lost on his scent, her eyes seemed to enjoy being closed as her mind drifted off. It was almost as if she was moving automatically, her thoughts and mind being somewhere different, but with Alex to guide her along the way. She had a bit more confidence now, so she placed the hand that was on his shoulder on his chest, not opening her eyes for even a brief moment.

He didn't seem to mind, in fact, he smiled as a small blush crossed his pale cheeks as well. He closed his eyes and just moved around, holding Claire tightly, assuring her that there was nothing to be ashamed of. After all, dancing is moving at the beat of your soul, and apparently their souls had a beautiful rhythm that together made the best combination imaginable.

It was almost as if time had stopped just for them to dance under the faint light of the moon, with the only rhythm being the songs of the crickets and the beat of their hearts. The cloudless sky seemed to fit the mood, helping the big white orb of the sky share its light with the two young strangers who were beginning to feel things they never had before. A simple dance was all it took for the faint fire of their insides to start, both being new to the feeling and unable to tell it apart from a beautiful close friendship.

"You're doing fine, Claire." He smiled after she had finally gotten the hang of the movements. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, continuing to dance to the soundless music that wrapped them both under the light of the moon that had its reflection on the silky waters of the Goddess's pond. "Do you… do you want to go to the festival with me?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him, a smile appearing of a sudden as she noticed a sparkle in his eyes. "I'd love to, doctor Al!"

"Listen to me. I don't want _**you**_ to call me like that." He said in a serious tone that frightened her a bit; he even stopped dancing. The chill of the night made her feel very cold, yet by still being close to him she felt better. The way he said those words made all of the warmness of his company disappear, leaving her for a brief moment on the cold air of the spring's night alone.

She closed her eyes again, this time with a heavy heart; ready for him to tell her what was wrong. Maybe she did something wrong? She didn't know, but she had the feeling that he'd just push her away and go back to the clinic alone, never to speak to her again. Instead, she got the biggest surprise when warm lips caressed her cheek without hesitation. "_You_ call me Al."


	8. Our own after party

Thanks for the reviews! You guys are soooooooooo awesome! -gives everyone a cookie-

Remember to review again! :D lol

* * *

After a lovely night with Claire, Alex found himself walking through the streets of Mineral Town toward his clinic. He had a silly grin on his face, feeling as light as a feather. The soothing silence that now was his companion helped him review the past events on his mind, making him feel slightly nervous for his actions.

"I wonder what got over me…" He mumbled to himself as he remembered when he closed the distance between them with a simple kiss on her rosy pink cheeks. It was an impulse that he couldn't resist, yet he couldn't explain it with full logic. He could tell that she didn't mind at all, but it still bugged him slightly.

Of course, there was a bit of awkwardness after that little scene but everything went great overall. Sitting behind the waterfall to simply talk and enjoy each other's presence, discussing their experiences in life and just having a good time.

His home came to view, and he immediately gave a look at his clock. "Hm… its 10:30pm already? I'd better hurry and get home."

He did so and was surprised to find everything off. He then remembered that Elli had gone to Ellen's house and was probably asleep by now; playing with Stu and taking care of her old grandmother was tiring after all. After closing the door, he walked all the way to Elli's room to make sure that she was asleep. The door was locked, so he just would have to tell her about his encounter tomorrow.

After changing into his PJs he sat on his bed with his head in the clouds, placing a hand on his head softly with a chuckle. "Oh Claire, what the heck are you doing to me…?"

The next morning, he got up a bit late, so he hurried to get ready. After bathing and changing into his clothes for the festival he walked down the stairs, finding Elli on the sofa reading a magazine on her party dress. "Oh Alex! You look so handsome!"

"Why… thank you, Elli!" He grinned, his head up high. "You look amazing too!"

She thanked him and placed the magazine down, taking a good look at the clock on the wall. "Well, you better get going! Claire is probably waiting for you already!"

"But how did you-"

She just giggled and combed his hair with her fingers. "I just know. Now get going, Gotz'll be here any minute too."

"Gotz?" He raised an eyebrow as he walked to the door.

"Don't get any ideas, Alex." She smacked him in the head playfully. "It's just as a thank you; now go!"

"Okay, okay! I'm going! Sheesh…" He laughed, running out the door before she would smack him again. "I'll keep an eye on you two, so don't get too comfortable together! If you do, I'll know!"

Elli just laughed and stuck out her tongue, telling him to go already and to stop being a busybody. Apparently the town's atmosphere was light and happy, because as Alex walked by the houses and buildings, he could hear the townspeople telling each other to hurry to the plaza.

On Sunset farm, Claire had just finished putting on her dress and makeup. She smiled on her reflection on her mirror, twirled on the light purple dress, and then combed her hair with her fingers for a final touch. After adjusting her flowers right, she rested her back against the wall feeling butterflies on her stomach of anticipation.

"When is Al going to get here?" She said to herself softly, looking at the door every five seconds. She took a deep breath and placed a hand where his lips were a few hours ago. She sighed deeply and smiled, hearing a loud knock on the door. _'Oh my Goddess… he's here! What do I do!? Just relax, Claire… you can do it… I can't do this!!!'_

When she opened the door, she came face to face to someone she wasn't expecting. It was a man with dark sunglasses, a silly and colorful hat and yellow clothes. He had long and black hair and had a suit case. He just grinned, opening it to show her some kind of apples.

"I'm Won. I'm a traveling salesman. Want to buy my apples? They're delicious! Want to hear their names? Yes? They're long names! Here I go! This one here is called a-"

"I don't want to buy any, thank you." She said, ready to close the door.

"WAIT!"

"What!? I'm waiting for someone; can you please come another time?"

He ignored her and took out a vase. "This little beauty is only for-"

"I SAID NO!" She walked inside and threw the door closed. The man just stood there in confusion, then stormed out of the farm angrily.

Right before she could laugh of what happen, another knock was heard. This one was a bit shy and soft, but loud enough for her to hear. _'Please be Al… please be Al… and not that weirdo! I want to see Al!'_

She opened the door and saw the same man that was at the church. He was wearing different clothes and looked quite handsome as if he was going to the festival too. "Uh… can I help you?"

"I… wanted to apologize for yelling at you. I was a bit nervous, you see, I don't talk to strangers and-"

"That's nice, but I'm busy. I'll listen to whatever you want after the festival is over, okay? Now get out of my farm!"

"Uh… alright. Look, I'm really sorry about-"

"OUT!"

He ran out of the farm, bumping into the black haired doctor. Alex just raised an eyebrow and shrugged, too excited to even care about the awkwardness of the matter.

A third knock was heard on Claire's door, causing her to stomp her foot. She pulled herself together and walked to the door, running a hand over her dress to make sure it was in its place. With a deep breath she opened the door and closed her eyes, not looking at the young man that stood there with wide eyes.

"I said it was okay! Can you go away and leave me alone!? I'm waiting for-" She opened her eyes and saw that it was Alex with a confused expression on his face.

"…What?"

"Oh my… I'm sooo sorry! I thought you were someone else!"

"You look…" He said, opening and closing his mouth, thinking of something to say. "Wow!"

She giggled and looked at the ground shyly. "Thanks. You look great! Shall we go?"

"Of course." He smiled, wrapping his arm around hers.

They walked toward the Rose Square in excitement, but neither saying anything to each other. They were wrapped in comfortable silence, the kind that you'd like to last for ever. Once they made their way to their destination, they were surprised by the beautiful decorations.

Flowers covered the brick walls, saying their hellos by sharing their gentle smell. There were beautiful centerpieces for the tables that were made to shine once the night came upon them. Also, a few tables were placed; they had different amount of chairs, from two up to six. A lot of villagers were also there, those who were on time that is.

"Sorry we're late." Alex said cheerfully once they were in the crowd. The mayor looked at their direction and waved, pulling Claire's arm brutally.

"You're up!" He said, pushing her toward the rest of the girls on dresses. She looked around in confusion, asking Elli what was wrong with the plum-like man.

"He just gets excited on this festival, don't worry." She smiled, telling her were she had to go.

The music started and the six girls were twirling and dancing gracefully from side to side. They were aligned just right and moved at the exact same time. It seemed that the rhythm of the joyful music penetrated their skins and caused them to dance as beautifully as ever.

Once it was over, there was enough food for everyone as an after party. They all had fun and enjoyed each other's company as a family. Once the light of the day was gone, the lights of the lampposts and the centerpieces gave a delicate touch to the blackness of the night.

Everyone was sitting on tables just chatting and having fun with their friends and family, except for Karen, who was mysteriously sneaking around the punch table with a questionable bottle in her hand.

Alex was having a great time; it was almost as a prom with everyone dressed up. Of course, the main attractions of the party were the six young girls in the long and fancy dresses. He drank a lot of the punch during the whole activity, which tasted a little bitter, though he didn't pay too much attention to it.

Then he excitedly walked over to his date with a glass of the juice for her. She was sitting on a table for two on one of the corners under the shadow of a tree.

"Claire, I got you something." He smiled and sat down on the chair across from hers. He noticed that she was wiping off tears as she sat up straight.

"Oh, thank you!" She grinned, taking the glass. He tilted his head to the side and looked at her carefully. Her face scrunched up a bit as she looked at her drink. "Al, this glass smells… like the juice has something strong in it…"

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" He asked gently, not listening to what she had said. "Are you feeling okay?"

She smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing… let's enjoy the party, alright?"

"Claire," he sighed, grabbing her hand that was on the table. "What's the matter?"

She took a sip of the juice, which tasted slightly like alcohol, looked away and sighed. "I was just remembering something sad… but really, let's just have fun."

He cupped her chin softly and made her look at him. The softness in his eyes made her feel better, but the worry in them made the opposite for her. "You can tell me anything… please?"

"It's just that… this reminds me of a party that we were doing for my parents when I was younger…." She sighed, another tear slipping by. "They were so happy together…"

"What happened?" He was caressing her hand with his thumb, trying to calm her down a bit.

"They said that they would be back in a minute, so they left me with my aunty. I really thought that they'd be back for me…" She bit her lip and sobbed softly. "Aunt Kasey took me to her house as soon as the party was over… they still hadn't come and I was worried. The next day I heard them arguing with her… very loudly, but when I went to see them they were driving off and… then I never saw them again."

He frowned and sat closer to her, rubbing her back comfortingly. She continued explaining, willing to get it out of her chest for once and for all. "After a few days we left to New York, where I lived until I moved here… I couldn't stand it."

"What was wrong there?"

"Everything… Aunt Kasey wouldn't stop saying how my parents didn't love me and how thankful they should be for her taking me away. She reminded me what a bother I was for all of them, especially her… and how it would be best if some stray bullet would get me someday… And how I should just get out of the house… and disappear…"

She cried softly as Alex held her closer. "Shhh… there, there… it's okay…"

"I did everything that I could to please her; I even worked in some company because she loved their products and I could give her discounts and free stuff! I was foolish… I couldn't take it anymore when she started with physical violence, so my cousin helped me escape. She gave me some different clothes in case my aunt would look for me, so she wouldn't recognize me… and that's all I brought from my loving _home._"

…oOo…

"Aren't they adorable?" Elli mumbled to Gotz from a table a few feet away. The tough man nodded, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, they make quite the couple."

"Did you say couple? Who?" Manna asked, grabbing a chair and sitting with them at the table. "I was just going to get more jam bun but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation! You say that there's a couple? Oh please, do tell me who!"

"It's… no one, Manna." Elli smiled, resting her head on her hands. "We were just talking."

"Oh! Don't tell me you two are going out now as a couple! You guys are very cute together, now that I think of it. But wouldn't it be hard for someone like Gotz to go and visit you so often? I mean, he lives on the other side of town! But well, I guess love surpasses all obstacles, right?"

"Manna!" Gotz looked at her with a frown, his serious glance scaring the woman. "Stop speakin' such nonsense. We weren't talking about us, now if you'll excuse me if I'm wrong, but the food table is on the other side of the Square!"

"Oh, erm… yes. Sorry about interrupting your evening, it wasn't my intention. I guess sometimes I get quite carried away with my talking, but what can I say? I just love chatting with you guys! You're so nice, but so is everyone else in this town… I wonder why we're such a great place to live in and yet so few people are here. Haven't you thought of that?"

"Ahem…"

"Um… I'll be leaving now! Enjoy the party!" The black haired woman got up and walked away, but instead of going to the food table like she had said, she headed to a table with Anna and Sasha.

"Heh, that woman and her gossip…" Elli shook her head, laughing under her breath.

…oOo…

Alex was at loss for words after hearing what his friend had said and didn't know what to do. He wiped some tears away gently, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Claire… I'm sorry for making you remember those things…. But don't you believe what your aunt said. You don't deserve those insults, or the violence… or the tragedies that she wished for you. I'm really sorry."

She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. "Don't be… _I'm _sorry for ruining the night, Al. Please, don't mind me and enjoy the party."

Before he could answer she stood up and walked toward one of the Square's exits quickly, the one that lead to the beach. He just sat there on the table, looking at the empty chair were she was a few moments ago. He had no idea that she had been through all of that on her childhood; he was in complete shock.

A few hours passed and everyone left home, all except for Alex. He stayed on the table, waiting to see if Claire came back. She was in no condition to be alone, but at her state it was probably best for her to think. Everything of the festival was almost cleared up on the Square except for his table.

Doug was cleaning up what was left and was amazed to find Alex still outside. He asked if he was going to stay there the whole night since it was already around three in the morning, making Alex feel worried. Claire hadn't come out yet, what if something bad happened to her? What if she did something stupid to herself?

He gulped and stood up, finding his way to the dark beach. The only sound that could be heard was the crash of the waves against the shore. He felt fear approaching when he didn't find the blonde girl; it was starting to eat his insides. He had Goosebumps and fast breathing, little by little panicking because she didn't come to his view.

He looked behind the umbrellas and under the stairs but there was no sign of her. He was about to yell her name in desperation but sighed in relief when he saw her sitting on the edge of the dock. He walked toward her softly, hoping that she felt better already.

"Claire…?"

"I've been thinking… and all those bad times were probably for the best." She mumbled, not looking up at him. He frowned and sat beside her, paying attention to her words carefully.

"What do you mean?"

"If those things wouldn't have happened to me…" She sighed, raising her view to look at him. She saw the worry on his eyes and smiled, as if telling him that everything was okay. "If everything turned out great for me on the city… then I would have never come to Mineral Town."

"Perhaps… it's a possibility that you'd become Claire, the big businesswoman of New York." He said, nudging her slightly as if to get her spirit up. Truth was that he was thinking about how different his life would be if she had never appeared there. He didn't know why, but that thought made him feel a bit sad.

"But if I stayed there, I know that I wouldn't be as happy as I am now." She closed her eyes, changing her view to the moon that shone on the black emptiness of the sky.

He smiled, getting the feeling that she was better. The fear and worry that covered him a few moments ago disappeared with the simple smile that his angel possessed. It shone brighter than the moon, and made her look almost unreal. "You're happy here, Claire?"

"Yes… I am now." She sighed and hugged him, letting the heaviness of the pain go and welcoming the warm feeling that Alex offered. "This is where I feel at home. Well, not at home, but… you know what I mean."

He wrapped his arm behind her back and pulled her closer, letting her rest her head on her shoulder. "Why is this place so important to you?"

She grinned and sat closer, getting butterflies on her stomach again. "It's all… because I met you here."

He blushed as he heard the words that came out of her mouth, not knowing if it was true or something that he had imagined. He hoped that she had really said those things because it made him feel good, he felt happier than ever before.

"I-I'm sorry for this, Al." She pulled away from him softly, looking at the ocean below. "I ruined the fun for you tonight… and I wasted your time by telling you something that should be forgotten."

"You never waste my time, Claire." He smiled, gently running a hand through her hair. "I'll always be here to help you out with your problems, no matter what they are. Count on me, okay?"

"You mean it?" Her eyes were big and shinny, full of hope. "You're not telling me just so I would feel better, are you?"

"No. I'd never lie to you, Claire." He hugged her tightly and smiled. "I may not be a psychologist… but I'm willing to do all I can to help."

"That's good enough for me." She grinned, hugging him back. "Thanks… for being my friend."

…oOo…

The night was dying quickly and the sun would be up in just a few hours. He yawned and stood up, holding a hand out for her that she gladly accepted. While they walked through the quiet paths of the town, Claire noticed that Alex was barely awake. She laughed to herself as he just walked forward, his eyes half asleep and his footsteps as heavy as rocks. He was a bit wobbly at his steps too, almost as if completely disoriented.

'_That spiked punch really got to him…'_

Once they arrived to the farm, she opened the door and took out some extra sheets and pillows. She placed them on the couch and smiled at Alex, who was resting his back against the wall completely asleep. With a roll of her eyes she grabbed his arm and dragged him to the bed, and in a few minutes he was completely out and comfy. Claire took off his tux and left him in more comfortable clothing.

She walked to the other side of the house and changed into her PJs, making sure that he was asleep. After placing her dress on the lower side of the bed with his, she turned off the lights and walked to the couch, giving one last look at his sleeping form. She smiled and dropped on her not-as-comfy pillow, mumbling sleepily. "I should have made _you_ sleep in the couch…"

A few hours later she woke up, rubbing her stiff neck. "Oh man… this is so not meant for sleeping!"

She looked at the bed and noticed that Alex was close to the edge, leaving enough space for her to sneak in. Being too sleepy to think about it twice, she crawled beside him accidentally kicking her dress to the floor beside his own in a very messy manner.

The next morning was cold and quiet as the rain poured down heavily. Claire yawned and sat up, rubbing her eyes with a sleepy face. She looked at Alex and noticed that was still out of his senses. The clock told her that it was six in the morning, so she sighed and stood up to look for something to do.

"Of course, it just _had_ to be raining… a day stuck on the house. Just great."

Alex coughed softly and rolled in the bed, still asleep. She smiled and walked over to him, getting a strange sheen in her eyes. She didn't pay too much attention to the clothes on the floor, which looked as if sleeping wasn't the only thing that went on. It wasn't her intention though; she just wanted to make sure that he wouldn't let them at her house by accident.

She looked out the window and noticed that the weather was pretty bad, almost too bad to go outside. Her stomach rumbled, causing her to pout and look through some boxes that were still there from the moving. After a while, she found what she needed and started to prepare some breakfast for the two of them.

The sweet smell of cocoa pinched Alex's nose gently and dragged him back from his dreams. He blinked a few times for his eyes to adjust to the light, but as soon as they did he sat up startled. "Where am I!?"

"Shhh! Keep it down, it's still early." Claire smiled from the couch, looking at his direction. His face was expressing the biggest confusion ever, making her giggle. "You're at my place. Don't you remember?"

"…Remember?" He looked around, then at himself. He noticed that he wasn't wearing his tux, but instead was wearing something he never would wear in the presence of anyone else; a simple white sleeve-less shirt and thin shorts which didn't do much to cover his boxers. His eyes widened as he gulped, looking around. "What happened last night?"

She noticed that he was a bit freaked out, so she sipped her cocoa and shrugged as calmly as she could. "Hm… not much."

"But then why am I here? And like this?" He said, pointing at himself as he sat up straight. "What happened?"

She just shook her head and petted her couch, signaling him to sit beside her. He did so; curious and anxious to know what happened. "We were talking on the pier and then you… walked me home."

He sighed and held his head. "That still doesn't explain why I woke up at your… your bed!"

"You make it sound like such a big deal." She shrugged, raising her eyebrow when his face showed even more worry. _'Just __**what**__ is he thinking!?'_

"Claire, it _is_ a big deal…" He looked around worriedly, but his view got blocked by a cup of hot chocolate that Claire was holding up. "Um… this is kind of serious…"

"Drink up while it's still hot." She smiled, handing him the cup. "Just relax; I doubt that anyone saw us when we came, they don't know you're here."

He took the cup and Claire noticed that his hands were shaking. She frowned slightly and looked at him, not knowing if he was like that because of yesterday's punch, or if anything else was bothering him. "Al, what's wrong?"

"I…" He mumbled but stopped when he saw the clothes all over the floor. His eyes widened and a blush appeared on his cheeks, giving him the appearance of a red tomato. _'Oh my… those are __**our**__ clothes… what did I do last night!?'_

"You're probably still a bit confused. You don't drink regularly, do you?" She asked, receiving a shook of his head as an answer.

"W-why do you ask that?" He had no idea what was going on, but it worried him.

"You had too much punch." He still looked confused, making him look like a lost puppy. "Al, the punch was spiked... I'm surprised you didn't smell it."

"Oh no… no-no-no…." He shook his head, letting it rest on his hands as he bent over on the couch. She looked at him worriedly, rubbing his back.

"What's the problem? You have a headache?" She had no idea that the things that she was saying were making him get very different ideas of what she meant. "You seemed to be having so much fun yesterday… it's sad to see you like this now. Anything I can do to help you feel better?"

"Claire, whatever happened last night… I-I can't say anything about it… I don't remember." He sounded upset as he mumbled those words. "Can you please tell me… w-what exactly happened?"

He was having thoughts, and the ones that he was having weren't good at all. First of all, he, a doctor, had gotten drunk at a party… he didn't remember much from yesterday; he didn't even remember how he got to her house to begin with! Then, he woke up at her house, in her bed, dressed in almost see through clothes, the rest of it scattered all around with no memory of what happened.

To put things short, he was worried and scared. He had never had so much alcohol that he couldn't remember his actions, and by the looks of it, his actions weren't exactly the ones a man like him should have done. Apologizing and hoping that nothing happened seemed to be the only options that he could think of, unless things got worse that is.

"Al? Are you listening?" Claire placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently. He blinked and looked at her, not knowing what to say. She just sighed and looked at him with the most worried look ever. "Why are you so red and shaky? Are you catching a cold?"

He stood up, his eyes stuck on the floor like glue. "I didn't know… about the drink… or anything… I'm sorry if I wasn't at my best behavior yesterday…"

"What are you talking about?" She tilted her head to the side. He couldn't come around to say anything or even move. "Al…?"

He gulped worriedly, his heart racing. After a deep breath he sighed and looked at her, his blood rushing to his face once more. "Claire, did we…? Did anything big happen here last night… between us?"

He didn't finish explaining completely what he meant and looked around. She looked at the direction he was facing, saw their clothes on the floor and got the hint. She got as red as he was a few moments ago, shaking her head. "No! Al, you just passed out here! I took off your tux so you'd be more comfortable and let you sleep on my bed, but nothing like _that _happened!"

He looked at her, physically relaxing. He took a big breath and sat down, his legs feeling weak and wiggly. He was so relieved that he even started laughing, causing Claire to laugh along with his chuckles. She bit her lip and punched him in the arm playfully, still laughing nervously.

"Just what kind of person do you think I am? Kidnapping you and then taking advantage of you because you had too much to drink!" She laughed wholeheartedly, her face still red from the whole mess. _'Though it's not such a bad idea...'_

His face was just as red as hers, embarrassment clear on his features. "I'm sorry! It's just that everything seemed like you did…! Um… I mean, we did! Err… oh man… I'll shut up now…"


	9. Spring Rain

I have a mess of stories in my PC... and I know its not an excuse for this being so late, but I thought I put this up already! Sorry! I'll have to write the next chapter soon. Thanks for the many reviews, faves, alerts and silent reading! It's really appreciated!  
lol I received a review that really made my day. Thanks! ^^

* * *

They laughed until their ribs hurt, but made sure that the misunderstanding was behind them. Alex didn't know what to do; he was too ashamed to even look at her straight in her eyes. A few minutes later, their laughter died down and awkward silence surrounded them.

Claire couldn't take the quietness for long, so she turned on the television. The TV Shopping Network was on, showing a nice and warm fireplace. "Now _that_ I wouldn't mind having right now, it's freezing in here!"

Alex smiled, pointing to her cup of unfinished cocoa. "Then you better drink your hot chocolate before it gets cold."

She nodded, but walked toward her closet first. She took out a big thick blanket that she had brought and sat back with Alex on the couch. After they were both tucked under the blanket with their cocoa on their hands, the cold was the last thing on their minds.

The awkwardness between them seemed to die, but the truth was that they felt anxious. Alex for one was ashamed for the previous events, though he didn't show it anymore. Claire on the other hand didn't pay much attention to that and was worried about him and his reputation.

"Al?" She mumbled barely louder than a whisper. He turned his attention to her immediately. "Do you think I should have done this to you?"

"Do what, Claire?" He frowned slightly, feeling lost. "If it's about my clothes then forget about it, I guess I overreacted."

"It's not that… though that's something else that I shouldn't have done either." She giggled. "But I meant bringing you here. Won't this spread rumors about you?"

"No." He shrugged without hesitation. "It's going to spread rumors about _us_."

"How can you be so calm about this? I probably ruined what they thought of you by bringing you here…"

"Oh Claire, what's the worse they can think of? It can't surpass what I thought already!" He chuckled, tossing the matter into the wind.

Right now he couldn't worry about what others thought of him; he was their doctor whether they liked it or not, so they'd just have to learn to deal with his actions or simply ignore them. "Besides, they probably didn't even notice us when we left, or did they?"

"Um… no, we came here very late." She sighed, placing her empty cup of cocoa on the floor. "But what about Elli? She probably will notice that you're not there."

"I can't believe that _I'm_ saying this, but relax. I'm sure she knows where I am."

Before Claire could ask, he just smiled brightly as if saying 'trust-me-on this'. She just sighed in defeat, nodding.

"Okay… let's just wait and see what happens."

He yawned and stretched, accidentally pulling the blanket away from Claire. She gasped and pulled it back, covering herself as much as she could. "Do you mind? These clothes weren't exactly made for the cold and I don't want you to see me in them."

"Uh, Claire? I already saw your pajamas! I've been here all morning." He raised an eyebrow, wondering what was going on in her mind. 'Short-attention span perhaps?'

"Yeah, but you were too freaked out to pay attention." She smiled, snuggling under the cover.

He just chuckled and nodded, remembering that he wasn't at his best state. "Well that's true."

After dead hours watching soap operas, they were even more sleepy and bored than before. Without much thought they turned off the television, the silence becoming annoying. It was so unbarring that the raindrops could have been mistaken for drums that wouldn't stop playing over and over again.

They actually didn't mind being stuck inside the house under a cozy blanket, simply listening to the weather's melody, but the awkward silence between them was too much. Alex was the first one to talk, looking for a conversation on the simplest thing he could come up with.

"It's… raining." He then sarcastically congratulated himself for such a stupid thing to say.

"Yeah…" Claire knew that he was trying and decided to play along, wanting too some conversation. "How long do you think it'll last?"

"Hm… I'm not sure." He stood up to turn on the TV for the weather channel, but just as he was about to push the 'on' button, everything turned black.

"Ah great, the power's out." Claire sighed, walking to the window. "Those clouds are pretty thick too."

"Really?" Alex walked beside her to take a look himself. "Wow, it looks like night time."

The wind was blowing hard, messing up some fallen leaves. Lightning shone through the heavens, making them jump in surprise. Afterwards, the loud thunder roared like a strong lion on its jungle paradise, threatening everyone who opposed it.

Claire screamed and hung on to Alex, the noise catching her off guard. He wrapped his arms around her with fast reflexes, ducking slightly. After the short fright, they regained their posture awkwardly. "Sorry, Al… lightning storms make me feel a bit jumpy."

He smiled and shook his head, looking outside again. "Don't worry; it'll be over before you know it."

"I really hope so." She walked back to the sofa, dropping and wrapping herself with the blanket. With a yawn he sat beside her, looking at the ceiling.

"Anything in particular you want to do? I can tell we're going to be stuck in here for a while." He closed his eyes, bending his arms behind his head.

She jumped to her feet and smiled, nodding energetically of a sudden. "Sure! I can really use some help unpacking!"

He raised an eyebrow and looked around, seeing around ten boxes piled up around the house. "Well, I guess that will keep us busy until the rain stops."

…oOo…

Elli woke up later than usual; the coldness of the atmosphere didn't let her break away from her sleep. With a glance of the clock she realized that it was almost noon so she changed into her regular clothes and walked down to the clinic.

"Alex? Are you down here?" She called out, looking for the doctor on his office. She frowned slightly and walked up the stairs again, and then knocked on his door. "Are you still sleeping?"

She opened the door and was surprised to find the room empty. "You… didn't sleep here last night, did you…?"

After looking around the clinic and their house she was convinced that he wasn't home. She rolled her eyes and smiled, sitting on her desk to read a magazine. _'At least he's having fun… about time too!'_

…oOo…

"For the last time, where the hell is your cousin!?" A tall woman with short reddish brown hair asked in fury, scaring her teenage daughter. "You better tell me where she is right now!"

"Mom, I don't know!" The younger of the two said, backing away from her mother. "I haven't seen her since she left! I swear!"

"But where did she _go_!?" Kasey growled, sitting down on her fancy new furniture. "Jill, tell me… if you know what's good for you and Jack, I mean."

"I'm telling you, I don't know!" Tears reached Jill's eyes; she was never good at lying. "All I do know is that she wanted to go somewhere calm and rural."

Kasey sighed and brought a hand to rub her aching head, her view getting attracted by an open newspaper that was on the table. An ad of a farm on Forget-Me-Not Valley was on the front page.

"Calm and rural, hm?" Kasey's tone was softer as a smirk appeared on her lips. "Alright, Jill, I know now what I had to know to begin with…"

The girl took a deep breath and pushed her bangs out of her face. _'Oh Claire, I hope I didn't mess things up right now…'_

…oOo…

"Who packs soup with clothes?" Alex chuckled as he took out a can from the box. "You never would have found it in there!"

"Of course I would!" She lied, taking the can out of his hand while faking anger. "I understand my messes."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow; then he took out of the same box a purple overall.

"Oh! I was looking for that ever since I got here! I thought I had lost it-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence. He was grinning knowingly as he held the piece of clothing in his hand. She rolled her eyes and took the overall, sighing. "You understand your messes, huh?"

"Ah shut it." She laughed, placing it on a box near her mirror. "That's the last of it?"

"Yup." He picked up the empty box and placed it beside the others. "We're all done."

She took a deep breath and smiled. Realization suddenly hit her, causing her to walk to the window slowly. "It's still raining… and the power's still out. We'd better find something to do or else we'll fall asleep here!"

Alex followed her lead and looked outside at the heavens that didn't stop pouring. He was about to agree when he heard a barking outside. After scanning the field he could see the dark figure of Claire's dog near the bridge. She seemed to notice that something was wrong, because she was looking around too.

"Your dog can drown if it falls into the river." He mumbled worriedly after a few moments of silence. She immediately looked up at him and then at the direction of the body of water, spotting the hairy creature.

"I'm on it." Without saying another word she walked toward the door hurriedly. Alex grabbed her arm gently, shaking his head disapprovingly.

"What are you doing? It's almost a storm out there!" She was about to reply when all of a sudden a branch hit the closed door, causing them to jump. "Imagine if you were in the doorway! You could have gotten seriously hurt!"

She sighed and looked outside again, glancing at her puppy. It was wagging its tail as it barked happily at a fish. Claire knew that her puppy was hyperactive, and would probably jump; ignoring the weather or its surroundings. "Claire… don't do it."

"I can't just stay here!" She frowned, gasping as Goli walked closer to the river's edge. She pulled away from his grasp and rushed out of the door, ignoring Alex's calls that followed her.

The wind outside was pretty strong, causing the trees to shake and the leaves to dance on their unlimited freedom. She rushed to her little dog and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him out of danger quickly. Before she could sigh in relief, she noticed a bit too late that the floor was slippery and started to fall inside the body of water. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting to feel the splash of the water against her skin.

To her surprise, none came. She opened her eyes and saw Alex there, holding her wrist tightly as he pulled her out of the river's dangers. His black hair got messed up by the wind, dancing around as if it had a life of its own.

He wrapped an arm against her shoulders after they were both out of danger worriedly as he asked if she was okay. She only nodded, looking up at him in shame.

"Sorry for running away like that…" She scratched the back of her head nervously, taking out a leaf from it. "I just couldn't let Goli get… you know, in trouble like that."

"Don't apologize, silly." He sighed, petting her head softly. "At least you're both alright."

She smiled and looked at her puppy with a fake frown. "Next time I'll let you try your swimming skills…"

Alex chuckled and got up, then offered her a hand. She smiled and accepted, getting up from the muddy soil. "Let's get dried up before we catch a cold…"

They both rushed back inside where it was nice and warm; perfect for contrasting the harsh cold that the spring rain had brought to the village. Claire raced to get a towel, wrapping herself from head to toes. Alex looked at her quietly for a while on the doorway, staring lazily at her dripping form.

"Do you want one?" She asked with her back still facing Alex. He didn't answer, so she turned around in confusion. "Al…?"

"Oh… erm… yes please." He snapped back to reality in a flash, taking the towel gratefully. His onyx black eyes were focused on the floorboards as he thought about their current situation. He always liked to analyze every moment, and this one yelled at the heavens that it was too close. "Can I… ask you something?"

"Of course." She noticed his strange behavior and walked beside him, grabbing his cold hand. His eyes looked up at hers, getting greeted by the window to the endless ocean of her pure soul.

"Claire, take better care of yourself."

To her it sounded like something any doctor would tell her if they were in Al's position, but to him it was one of the most sincere requests he ever asked for. He said it wholeheartedly, his eyes begging for her to take it seriously. His insides warmed up as soon as she smiled, nodding and shaking her messy blond locks across her pale face.

"Alright." She took a deep breath and looked at him, showing her pearly whites shyly. "I don't think I could get in bigger trouble than the one I've been already, though."

"I'm serious." He sternly looked at her, worry clear on his features. "I can't imagine what would've happen to you if I wasn't here with you!"

She looked down at her feet and nodded softly again. Honestly she knew that he was worried, and now that he mentioned it, it was a scary thought. "I'm touched that you care so much…"

"You're my best friend, Claire." He admitted quietly, his heart thumping fast on his chest. He raised her chin softly, helping her eyes searched his. When both views made contact, it felt as if fireworks exploded on their insides, causing butterflies to fly freely on their bodies.

"You're my best friend too…" She smiled, closing her eyes softly.

He felt as if her skin was pulling him closer, getting him just a few inches away from her. Their noses brushed against each other softly and their lips tingled happily in anticipation, but before they could get any closer, the lights came back on with a loud and startling sound.

They backed away and looked at the floor awkwardly, feeling shivers on their insides. Alex coughed softly and then dried his face with the towel in his hand. _'What was I about to do?'_

She closed her eyes for a second, getting over the initial shock of what would've happen if the lights hadn't come at that precise moment. She breathed in deeply, still able to snatch a bit of his scent. His voice interrupted her trance, making her feel a bit upset. "Well… erm… I guess we can watch TV now that the power's back…?"

She looked at him with a bit of disappointment, but nodded anyway. "Let's check the weather channel first."

And so they did, finding out that the out-of-season storm was coming to an end. They felt great relief at those news and found themselves talking about weather abnormalities. This not being such a broad topic, they returned to watching soap operas until the rain completely stopped.

Alex was the first to notice that the day had started to clear up; being the one who was still awake. He looked at Claire's sleeping form, who managed to find her way to his chest. Honestly, he felt better with her so close, it felt right.

He closed his eyes for an instant, snuggling his nose against her soft and messy hair. It smelled just like wild berries, wrapping his senses and dancing with his mind. He made a great effort to stay awake, watching as a man on TV followed a woman with a wedding ring on his hands. They had fought over something, so she didn't pay attention to his pleads to forgive him and to stay for a little longer.

He yawned and was about to give in to sleep when the news flashed into the screen.

"We interrupt this program to inform that the storm is almost out of the way, and that many have been injured on the southern area." The newsman said as he pointed at a map behind him. Alex could see their small island that was a bit to the north of where he was pointing and got rather worried. What if a villager got injured too? It was his responsibility, and here he was, enjoying a nice rest with Claire.

He sighed and shook her shoulder softly, not getting a response from the sleeping beauty. "Claire? Wake up, Claire…"

She yawned softly and turned to him sleepily. "Al? What's wrong…?"

"Come with me for a second…" He didn't want to worry her, so he took advantage of the fact that she was still half asleep and dragged her to the bed. After tucking her in carefully, he picked up his clothes from the floor and walked to the door. He looked back once with a little smile and then walked outside, where faint sunrays tried to find their way across the clouds that still covered the sky.

It was now that he realized how chilly it really was outside. He shivered while he looked at the mess that was now Claire's farm. "After all her hard work…"

With a sigh he walked towards the clinic slowly, paying close attention to his surroundings to see if he could spot anyone that needed his help. A few showers fell from the skies on his way back, getting him wet from head to toe.

When he finally reached the clinic, he opened it quickly and rushed inside. Elli was sitting behind the counter finishing a list of medicines that they had to order. She looked up at the drenched man and gasped worriedly. "Alex, what happened to you?"

"I'll explain later." He said trembling. "Right now I just want to take these clothes off."

"Of course, I'll cover for you in case anything comes up while you bathe." She nodded understandingly. "Take your time."

Alex walked up the stairs as fast as he could; ready to take a nice and warm bath. Elli raised an eyebrow as she stared at his back. _'Why the heck was he wearing so little clothing on the streets?'_

A few minutes later, Alex found himself under the heat of his shower. He smiled and closed his eyes, getting lost in the scent of his shampoo. It smelled just like Claire, fresh berries mixed with vanilla. With this thought in his mind he opened his eyes suddenly.

"I have to stop thinking about her…" He sighed, letting the warm water splash on his face. Even though he said that, he couldn't help but imagine how life would be if he lived with Claire. Things would surely be different from his routine, his life would be happier. "Get a hold of yourself, Alex!"

He frowned and finished with his bath, trying his best to shut off his thoughts. He managed to distract his mind with worries of the villagers, but then he remembered that they were the only reason he wasn't in the farm.

He took a deep breath and placed a hand on his head. "I'm not going to stop with these thoughts, am I?"

His mental argument came to a stop as soon as he surrendered and decided that if his thoughts rebelled against his common sense there was no way to stop them. In the mix of memories and a pinch of imagination, he somehow remembered the worry that washed over him before his recent shower. This made him hurry to get dressed and then caused him to run down the stairs.

"Did anyone came in, Elli?" He asked anxiously, looking over at his assistant.

She had a calm expression on her features and shook her head. "No, doctor. It seems that they're no injured villagers after all."

"That's a relief…" He sighed, bringing a hand toward his head. "If you need me I'll be in my office."

"Alex?" She called after him shyly. He peeked from his door with curiosity.

"Yes?"

"Is it okay if I ask where you spent the night?" She raised an eyebrow and giggled as soon as she noticed his nervousness. "I was worried."

"Well, I-I'm alright, and that's what matters." He laughed nervously, knowing that she wouldn't be convinced with such a simple answer. She slowly crossed her arms with a mischievous grin on her usual sweet –looking face. "Fine. I was at the farm."

She giggled and nodded, picking up some papers on her desk. "That's all I needed to know."

"Elli, don't get any ideas." He said sternly before returning to his office. "I mean it!"

He sat on his chair and stared at his ceiling with a slight frown. Today was definitely a day to remember, a day out of the ordinary. He didn't know why, but even though it was out of the usual, he came to like it. _'Oh Goddess… what is wrong with me?'_

Hehe, I like Elli in this chapter.

* * *


	10. Far apart

Here's a bit of a time skip, so it won't affect those who lost track of the story. I'm sorry!!! Really!! But well, here it is. Reviews are loved!

Oh, and I'll finish this story, even if it takes forever. -_-

* * *

Spring didn't bring much of anything else after the storm. Festivals came and went normally, Alex would tend the clinic like always and Claire would take care of her farm. She wasn't visiting the clinic as often as she used to since she had taken a liking into mining and that consumed most of her day. Still, every now and then she'd find her way to Alex and Elli's place to chat and occasionally snatch a cup of cocoa.

Finally Summer had decided to make its grand appearing, bringing the heat along with it. This wasn't one of Alex's favorite season, since many people came around because of the extreme changes of temperature. It was a way to make himself get back into schedule though, so he wasn't really complaining.

Sure, some distractions like the Dog Festival arrived along with Summer, but Alex decided that if he wanted to be a great doctor, he needed to have the commitment to stay focused in his work. He managed to outshine most distractions, and was pleased with his work so far.

"Elli? Please bring me the brown briefcase from the second floor." He said as he wipped his brow tiredy. In a few minutes she came with the recalled item, smiling brightly. He opened it and took out an odd item with a few rubber lumps. "Thank you."

"What's that?" Elli asked curiously, eyeing the item with a raised eyebrow.

"Its this." He smiled, showing her an old magazine that explained what it was. Somehow it used negative ions to give you relaxation or something like that, she wasn't able to read it since he threw the magazine over his shoulder a few seconds afterwards. "If it really works, it's going to be quite popular in the village."

She considered it and nodded, grabing the lightweighted item. "Hm, it looks expensive..."

"Don't you see? It'll pay for itself in no time." He smiled proudly. "It will bring down the villagers' stress levels."

"Whatever you say..." Elli sighed and returned to her desk to hold her head. Alex was so hardheaded when he wanted to be; sometimes she felt that he acted like a stubborn child.

Alex placed the item in a drawer of his desk as soon as he finished with all his paperwork. That afternoon was slow and boring, just like it used to be a few days ago. His eyes scanned his office for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

The heavy lids that covered his onyx colored windows to reality were tempted to close for a few hours, but his mind bolted up and kept him awake and alert most of the day.

Most of it, anyway.

"Alex, its time to close up the clinic." Elli said loudly from her desk. He didn't respond so she curiously stood up and knocked on his office's door. After a second or two, she gently opened the door and found him fast asleep, face-first on his desk. "…Alex?"

She walked toward his desk and sighed, noticing the mess in his office. All of his research was spread around the desk and floor, giving the sensation of being suffocated by all the papers. She placed a hand over his jet-black hair softly, caressing it absentmindedly.

"You really work too hard… too much for your own good." She mumbled as she continued to rub his head. In response, he yawned and wrapped his arm around hers, using it as a pillow. She giggled and placed her other hand over his, feeling bubbly inside. "Alex? Wake up…"

He began to mumble things incoherently, causing her to smile again. "Come on, let's get you to rest."

"But what about this…?" He frowned, still with his eyes closed. For a second, Elli thought that Alex was awake. After a few seconds of silence, she realized that he was still on his dream realm. "…I really can't leave yet…"

She laughed quietly to herself as she yanked his arm a bit harder. It was a failed attempt, so she let go and crossed her arm as well as he could with his own in the way. "Alex…?"

He covered his head with his arms and continued to mumble every few seconds. Elli thought that this was because of his lack of rest, though even if she immensely was worried, she couldn't help but think of this scene as adorable. "Let's get going now."

"What about…Claire?" He managed to say with his rant.

Elli didn't know why, but she could feel her heart sinking all of a sudden. All the warmness in her insides disappeared, leaving her to snap back to reality. With a faint feeling of disappointment, she shook his shoulder a bit harder while calling his name.

"What…? Erm…" He groaned sleepily as he rubbed his eyes. "Oh my… Elli? …I fell asleep again, didn't I?"

She raised an eyebrow and nodded. "You need to rest… I'll go and put the "closed" sign on the door."

He held back a yawn and then noticed the messed up paperwork. Before he even began to sort them out, Elli had returned and was pulling him towards his room. "But-"

"No buts, Alex." She came to a stop in front of his bedroom door. "Go to sleep. You have to relax! Tomorrow's Wednesday, so don't worry about waking up early… it's your day off."

"There's no such thing as a day off for us." He muttered sadly. It was true; even if the front sign and his calendar said that there was no work, a doctor had to take action if anything happened.

"Don't be so pessimist!" Elli exclaimed, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Besides, nothing big ever happens here. Give yourself a break, that way you'll have the strength to be better every day."

He showed a shadow of a smile and hugged her. "Thank you."

Her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink as she stared at him blankly. "For what?"

"For just being here." He backed away and grabbed the doorknob; then he turned to face her. "The world could use more people like you."

She smiled gently and opened her room's door, telling him once more to get some rest.

Once she was in her room all alone, she couldn't help but think about Doctor and about how much she cared for him. He'd always been there with her, battling against life's challenges… always side by side. She never told a soul, but she truly enjoyed spending so much time with him.

Alex was her best friend, the one she could count on. They lived together; everything for them was almost like if they were a family.

_Almost._

It was strange, but lately she felt as if he'd been absent; like if his mind was concentrated on something else.

"No, not on _something_ else, but better said on _someone_ else." She said bitterly to herself. "On _Claire._"

Deep down she was happy for Alex and Claire's friendship, but she was only human, and still at times the little green monster of jealousy clouded her mind and convinced her that she had to stop them. They were too close; he liked her too much.

She shook off those thoughts and sat on her bed, realizing now that those feelings were new to her. She had never known about those mixed feelings: a collection of sadness, joy for him, anger and resentment. They had begun to grow only weeks ago, when she saw Alex walking Claire to her farm, their fingers wrapped together tightly.

Her chest hurt slightly as the recent memory of Alex calling for Claire during his sleep flashed before her eyes. "Why couldn't he say _my_ name-?"

Did she really mean what she had just said? She brought a petite hand towards her head, and then she let out a sigh. She closed her eyes tightly as her head spun with so many thoughts. She didn't hate Claire or felt anger towards Alex…

It was with herself for being so selfish.

"He's my friend, that's all…" She said out loud, battling her mind. Sadly, her mind was the one with the last word. _'…and it's all he'll ever be.'_

…oOo…

The yellow sunrays overpowered the shadows of the night a few hours afterwards, sending a blast of color to the black canvas of the broad heavens. A stray thin string of light found its way to a young woman's face, causing her to wake.

Her ocean colored eyes met the blinding bother for a second; it let her know that it was time to go to work. The gentle summer breeze greeted her skin as she opened the door, accompanied by the not so delicate sun that provided all his livid heat. Immediately, her vast farm greeted her view.

The large terrain was mostly clear, though a few stubborn weeds decided to make their presence known. She rolled her eyes and walked toward her chicken coop, grabbing a white ball of feathers with a faint smile.

"Ah, Yuuki… want to get some sun today?" She smiled at the little animal.

It happily flapped its wings as well as it could in her arms. She walked outside and grinned as Yuuki darted toward the weeds hungrily. "Well, that should keep her occupied for a while…"

She then resumed with her chores, finishing everything around an hour later; not that they were a lot, anyway. With a small bottle of honey in her hand, she wondered what she could do for the rest of the day. It was a bright summer day, packed with heat and silence. The very limited breeze only appeared every once in a while, giving her the sensation of being inside a gigantic cooking pot.

Her view was attracted by the woods to the south of her farm; the shade was cool and inviting, pulling her feet in playfully. She let herself go and found herself beside the lake, where the "previously burnt trees and bushes had already grown back and gave a peaceful scenario once more.

Oh, I love this place." She sighed contently, taking a lungful of air.

"Me too."

She opened her eyes and saw Alex on the edge of the body of water, studying a blue grass. He was wearing a white shirt with black jeans, never losing the style of the clinic. His hair was as messy as always, though this time he wasn't wearing the mirror on his head.

"Hey, Al. How's your day off coming along?" She lazily found her way beside him, peeking over his shoulder to look at the item in his hands.

"Hm? Oh, I'm satisfied with it." He shrugged, still staring at the blue vegetation. "What about you? How have you been?"

"You know; same old…" She smiled weakly, kicking the ground melancholically. "So… How's Elli?"

They haven't been able to see each other as often as they did on the beginning of Spring due to Alex's work and Claire's efforts to make her farm as great as it could be. Their friendship was as strong as ever, though the distance kept a gloomy atmosphere on them almost every day. The time they had spent together, just looking at the sky as it changed from black to blue at night, seemed so far away now that the nostalgia was overwhelming.

They hadn't been able to enjoy each other's company like they used to either. It was something that just happened, not planned and not wanted either. Still, when the rare occasion of meeting appeared, they took advantage of the opportunity and tried their best to have fun together.

"She's alright; working hard and taking care of Ellen." He finally turned around to face the blond, mimicking her soft smile.

"Elli's an amazing person. She's strong, kind and beautiful." Claire said, staring at the still waters of the cool lake. "I wish I was more like her…"

"I really don't know what I'd do without her." Alex sighed deeply, not noticing as Claire's eyes saddened a bit. "I've been with her all my life, and to just think about living without her in it seems… incomplete."

Alex had no idea that every word he had said pained Claire little by little. She had begun to discover feelings beyond her understanding for Alex; a close friendship that was so special that no words could ever describe it. It wasn't love, she told herself, but at least a crush for him was obviously growing within her. Hearing him speak like that about another woman made her feel uncomfortable, unimportant and unwanted.

She knew it was selfish for her to think that way, but Alex was a very important person for her. His opinion was more valuable to her than all the gold in the world. She wanted to be on the top of his priority list, and truth to be told, to know that Elli was on a higher rank than her made her feel jealous.

"Well, um… have you done anything out of the ordinary lately?" Alex asked, taking her hand and pulling her under the shade of a tree. He sat down and invited her to do the same, enjoying the refreshing breeze that blew on his face. "I believe that I'm making progress on my research for Lillia's illness."

"Really? That's great!" She sat down beside him and pushed her bitter feelings aside. "I got a chicken! I guess you can call that out of the ordinary…"

"That's good." He smiled at her gently, chuckling afterwards. "You're becoming quite a farmer."

Even though she knew that he meant that as a compliment, she couldn't help but feel a bit inferior by his statement. A farmer; that was all she was capable of being while he was a doctor, wise and important.

'_There's no way he could think of me as in more than a friend.' _She sheepishly thought to herself as she observed as Alex placed the blue grass back into its place. In her eyes, he deserved someone better, someone who could offer more than her. Someone more prepared for life and its challenges.

Someone like Elli.

"I guess I should get going, Al."

Alex looked at her disappointedly, wanting to spend a bit more time with her. "So soon? But it's been so long since we've properly talked… I was hoping that-"

"I'm really sorry…" She interrupted sadly while getting up, not being able to look at his face. "But I really should go back to my farming."

He smiled sadly, stood up too and nodded understandingly. Without any warning, he walked to her side and hugged her tightly. The sudden warmth took them both by surprise, but as friends, it wasn't something to make a fuzz of. "You are an outstanding woman. I'm… proud of you."

She could feel her cheeks becoming hot as she blushed. She tried to hide it by looking at the lake, though he could still see the hint of pink in her cheeks as soon as he let go. This only brought a little smile to his face. Once she considered that she had regained control over her features, she turned to face him quietly.

"Proud of what? All I do is pull out weeds and feed a chicken."

He chuckled and looked at her tenderly. "Claire, do you really think that's all you do?"

"Well… no, but it's pretty darn close to reality." She managed to smile and look at his eyes. The tension that was surrounding her melted away with the warmness he offered. "I'm not that big of a deal…"

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He knew what she'd been through over the past few years and thanks to his knowledge in psychology he understood why she always felt so unconfident. He might not know her aunt in person, but it was obvious that she had scarred Claire deeply. He was willing to help her recover her self-esteem; he was willing to keep her happy.

"You think that what you do is not important?" He asked stubbornly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Think about this for a second… You've only been here for around a season, correct?"

Claire only nodded, looking at the ground. That only made her think about her feelings further. _'It's only been a season and already I'm getting dramatic over a crush… I'm just pathetic.'_

He cupped her chin softly and turned her attention back to him.

"I can tell you three things in less than ten seconds that you have done to help in this village in that short period of time."

That caught the young woman's attention. "Like…?"

"First off, economy. Without you, this island's economy would be down the drain. Zack can explain that with full detail… you sell all sorts of things that are only available in this island. It keeps the gold in the island running."

"Any villager can do that!"

"Second of all, you've restored the farm to its former glory."

"But I don't even have livestock… or crops…" She pouted, trying her best to contradict him.

"And thirdly…" He looked at her carefully, not sure how to put what he wanted to say into words. "You've managed to bring life back to this place."

"Um…?" She stared at him blankly for a few seconds._ 'Bring life? What did he mean by that?'_

"You've managed to transform every villager's life by just being in this town. Like for example, have you noticed how happy the mayor is with you here? Or how happy the Poultry farm is now, having a real farmer for a neighbor? A responsible at that too… Zack has someone he can actually talk to when he picks up his shipment, May and Stu have someone to play with, Mary has someone to read books with… should I go on?"

She simply stared at him at a loss for words.

"…Have you noticed how happy you make me?" He finished off quietly, this time looking at the sky and the shifting clouds that swam in it.

Claire just stood there, staring at the man before her. He looked sincere, though she really couldn't tell what the big change in Mineral Town was. Then again, she didn't know how it was before her arrival, so it might as well remain as a mystery until she could see the truth within his words.

"Al?" She managed to say, though the sound was like an imitation to the breeze's whispers. "Why are you so… nice to me?"

He looked down at her sky-blue eyes tenderly. "Truth to be told, I don't know myself."

Claire was surprised to have heard him say that. When she thought about his words, she felt strange. It was a response that really didn't answer anything. It was… empty.

"Well, that's great…"

He chuckled; instead of feeling offended by her sarcasm, he thought of it as a way of saying the truth in her own way. "Ah, Claire. You just... came into my life when I needed a friend. I can't imagine acting differently towards you. I don't plan on acting "nice" around you… it just happens."

She smiled and looked at him thankfully. Her golden locks got pushed around by the wind and straight into his face. He ducked slightly; that made her giggle and step back, noticing now how close they really were.

"Well… I'd better get going. For real… I have some chores to do around the farm."

"Alright then." He could tell that she felt better already and the urgency of her voice gave away the truth. "Um… Claire… have you ever thought about…"

"What?"

She had already begun to walk away, so she turned to see him clearly.

"Er… nevermind." He smiled sheepishly while placing his hands on his pockets. "It's not important. I'm just rambling random stuff…"

She stared at him for a second or two, and then with a shrug she returned down the path towards her farm.

He on the other hand, stayed on the slippery edge near the lake. His mind traveled through the streets of his memories and stopped on the day he arrived on Mineral Town. He felt lost and confused at first, but lucky for him, Elli was traveling with him and her grandmother lived there. It was enough to make him feel at home; a fake family to come home to.

That was probably why he was so nice to Claire. He knew how hard it is to arrive to a new town with no one to talk to. Also, he wasn't lying when he said that she arrived at the perfect moment; he felt empty in that village, even if he was surrounded by his _family_.

And that single word made him remember what he was about to ask Claire. It would've been awkward to ask out of the blue if she'd thought about staying on Mineral Town to build a life there, to build a family. It was a really personal question, but it was only brought to him because he believed that a great family was all it took for someone to find real happiness. He was glad that he remained quiet at that precise moment, perhaps if not; he would've pushed her away even further.

He took a deep breath and began to walk to the Clinic, feeling that noon was arriving. All these thoughts about family reminded him of his own. He tried to think about something else; his real family wasn't exactly something to remember with a smile. They weren't there when he needed them the most, they were always too busy. He understood that their job was demanding, but he also knew that there should've been a balance to their lives.

"And speaking of being busy…" After distracting himself for around an hour, he found himself in front of the Clinic. "…I'm back to the routine."

…oOo…

A woman was walking through a dirty path that led to a small village. She had the feeling that she would find who she was looking for soon. After setting foot on Forget-Me-Not Valley, she couldn't help but smile widely.

"You can't hide forever, you stupid brat. I'll find you, even if I have to turn around every single pebble in this place."

…oOo…

That afternoon was the hottest one they've ever had in Mineral Town; at least, that's what the Major had announced in the bulletin board. The breeze that used to refresh the heat had disappeared that morning, leaving the villagers to suffer the temperature's high level.

Claire had finished with her chores a long time ago, and Yuuki was already inside the coop. To tell the truth, she had no idea of what she wanted to do that day. She found herself in the Rose Square, facing the entrance of the beach.

It seemed to be quite breezy there, which really was something to look forward to. She headed over to Mineral Beach, stopping on top of the stairs to take in the beautiful view of the sea at once. A smile crept to her face as the refreshing cool air brushed against her smooth skin. She closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation, but a loud argument could be heard from nearby. She turned around to see what was causing it, and was surprised to see Rick yelling at Kai.

"What the…?"

"So you better stay away from my sister!" The blond yelled angrily, to what the tan man just laughed.

"And just who do you think _you_ are to boss us around?"

"I'm warning you!!"

Kai just crossed his arms and sat down on a bench, watching as if it was a TV show as Rick continued to give him a speech about the hundred reasons he should stay away from Popuri. The argument ended quite quickly with Rick walking away and leaving a confused Kai on the shore.

Claire was still on the entrance of the beach, not being sure of what to do. That stranger was just yelled at by one of her neighbors, so perhaps he meant trouble.

"Hm, one way to find out." She shrugged, walking over to meet him.

"Well, hello there, Blondie!" The man smirked as soon as he saw the farmer, winking.

"Er… hi there." Claire felt uneasy the instant he talked to her. Maybe this was a bad idea? There was something about him that made her feel strange, a feeling of familiarity was in the air. "My name's Claire, not Blondie."

"Oh, well excuse me, Claire." He smoothly apologized, still eyeing the girl closely. "The name's Kai. I come here around the summer to run this shack right here. Feel free to come and eat whenever you like!"

"Wait… Kai?" Claire blinked, walking closer to the man who now seemed to be confused. "The same Kai that was on Turnip Oil City last Christmas?"

"Oh man, I knew you looked familiar!" He grinned once realization hit him. "Claire! What the heck are you doing all the way over here? Weren't you a workaholic back at New York?"

"Well, not anymore, as you can see…" She smiled, changing her view to the ocean as she remembered the first day she arrived. "I kinda… ran away."

"So Kasey doesn't know you're here?"

At the sound of her aunt's name, Claire couldn't help but frown. "No. I'd appreciate if you keep this between us… some stuff happened back at home, so I looked for a place far away… and here I am."

"Oh, don't worry… It'll be our little secret." Kai placed a hand on Claire's shoulder, chuckling in a friendly manner.

Claire just laughed as well, shaking her head as she remembered that Kai used to be one of the only people she used to hang out with ever since she began living in New York. He used to visit her house every Christmas, his father being some sort of relative to her aunt.

"You never change, do you?"

…oOo…


End file.
